How Life Finds a Way
by Ssjghostrider
Summary: A much younger Alan Grant, fresh out of college, struggles to find himself a job. Two years later, he accepts a job offer to come and work at Jurassic World, the worlds greatest attraction resort. Here he meets people he can relate to, learns things he shouldn't about the park, and finds himself running for his life when things suddenly go wrong.
1. Chapter 1

**How Life Finds a Way**

 **Chapter 1: The New Job  
**

 **Jurassic World is owned by Amblin Entertainment, Legendary Pictures, Universal Pictures, and Micheal Crichton.  
**

 **But I do own Alice though!**

 **1\. Here it is! The story that a lot of people have been asking for, and I thought on it some. I was like, hey why don't I just take Dr. Grant(my favorite character from the franchise), add him to Jurassic World, change up some things and BAM! I'm actually pretty excited to see where this goes.**

* * *

[Badlands, Montana, June 5th, 2014]

Beads of sweat rolled down Alan Grant's head as he looked up at the hot summer sun. Looking back down at his work, he continued to pick away at dirt that covered fossil remains.

With a sigh, he reminisced the last two years since he'd finished college. After school, the man had struggled to find a job that he enjoyed. Alan had graduated at the top of his class with a major in paleontology from Berkeley. Afterwards he'd gotten many job offers at museums across the country, but that wasn't what he wanted.

He wasn't much of a people person, so he didn't want to be stuck giving tours or working in some back room on fossils that would be stowed away in containers for God knew how long. He'd searched tirelessly for other paleontologists that would hire him on for their dig sites.

The problem with that was, most of the better known diggers were spread out across the world, as America was starting to be picked clean.

Though, just before he'd finally decided to give up, a letter came for him from the owner of a multi-national billion dollar company. Simon Masrani was one of the richest men in the world, and also happened to be the owner of famous island getaway, Jurassic World.

He'd cringed somewhat at the name, remembering the accident on the same island almost twenty years ago. He'd been a kid when it happened, but he remembered the footage from the news helicopters as bright as day as they filmed real dinosaurs running around freely.

Again, a few years later he turned on the news to see a Tyrannosaurus running through downtown San Diego wreaking havoc and eating people. This happened because it was _someone's_ brilliant idea to try and build another park on the mainland. That didn't go so well.

And again in 2001, Alan watch as the news reported a couple that disappeared on Isla Sorna trying to find their lost son.

Then in 2005, John Hammond, the man responsible for building the first park gave over what was left of his company, rights, and money to Simon. Hammond entrusted a future successful park to Masrani, who did as promised and produced a fully functioning park by the end of the year. Nine years later, the park was the most loved tourist attraction in the world, always producing more dinosaurs and attractions every year.

Masrani was offering Grant a job as a lead paleontologist on his crew. This led the man to his current state of mind, an internal storm brewing over the choice. He'd always wanted to work at Jurassic World, around living dinosaurs, but after seeing the destruction they could cause if they weren't carefully watched he didn't know if he wanted that.

"Alan?"

He'd remembered going to a press conference Berkeley had held his second year, listening to Sarah Harding speak of her experience on the island that was supposed to be secret. He could see the fear in her eyes as she talked about being chased by two Tyrannosaurs, being ambushed by raptors, and even losing most of her team. "These creatures are a force that should be left alone," the woman stated.

It was things like these that Alan found himself thinking about daily, ever since he'd received Masrani's letter.

"Alan!"

He was jerked out of his thoughts, looking up to see a blonde grinning down at him.

"Damnit Ellie I told you not to sneak up on me like that." He mumbled, shaking his head and sitting up for a breather.

"I didn't sneak up on you, I've been standing here for five minutes calling your name." She laughed, as bubbly as ever.

Ellie Sattler was Alan's best friend, having met each other at Berkeley. Unlike him, she was studying paleo botany, studying ancient plants. She also had the mouthiest boyfriend ever, always going on about chaos theory and stuff he didn't understand.

"Alan, when are you ever going to learn to smile? Every time I see you, you have this frown on your face. Sometimes I think you were born that way." She joked.

Alan rolled his eyes, giving a smirk.

"I'll smile when I finally get this damn bone out of the ground." He answered half-humorously, going back to pick at the dirt.

"You mean the bone you just chipped up?" Ellie covered her mouth, barely able to keep her grin from getting bigger. Sometimes she swore up and down, that Alan could get his own TV show if he wanted.

As Alan looked from her back to the fossil with confusion, eyes widening once he'd seen where chipped a piece of bone. It must've happened when he was lost in thought.

"Damnit…" He facepalmed slowly, rubbing the sweat off his face.

"Here, let me help. This'll go faster with two people anyways." She bent down, pulling a pick out of her shirt pocket.

"Thanks Ellie." Alan shook his head at his own clumsiness.

A moment of silence went by as the two chipped at the dirt around the old fossil, before Ellie broke the ice.

"So, when are you leaving?" She asked, stopping momentarily to look up at him.

"What do you mean?" He asked back, not looking up from his work.

"I mean, when are you going to leave for your new job?"

Then it clicked.

"I haven't decided yet."

"Well why not?"

"Because, we're still not finished here, far from it. And what if I don't make the cut?"

"Now you're just putting yourself down." Ellie chuckled.

"Plus I'm terrible with technology, that's probably the only reason i've been able to keep my job here, because all we do is dig."

"Well you said it yourself, nothing is better than digging."

"Yeah, but all we get is speculation from bone. If we had the actual things here in front of us, we'd known how they really ticked."

"Now it's starting to sound like you really want to go." Ellie grinned.

Alan stopped, taking a moment to process that.

"Ellie, if you had the chance to take the job of a lifetime, would you take it?"

"Alan, I'll be honest with you, anything is better than being out in this sandbox." She gestured to the terrain.

"If that's your honest opinion, why are you out here then?"

"Because someone has to keep an eye on you." She laughed, lightly punching the man in the shoulder.

"Well that just makes me feel a whole lot better." He gave a small chuckled, sitting up again.

"So? What're you going to do?" She asked once more.

Alan processed the question, looking out over the hills and lakes in thought, before looking back at his blonde friend. He hoped he didn't regret his decision.

* * *

[Jurassic World, Isla Nublar, March 25th, 2015]

It had been almost a year since Alan accepted Masrani's job offer. The twenty-six year old had found himself instantly placed inside a lab with all the other starting recruits, and that didn't sit well with him. Upon his first month there he went to Claire Dearing, the person Masrani put in charge of running the park, and asked for a change of location.

He'd been promised a spot on Simon's team, but the man knew Grant was an outdoors man. He only took the job so he could observe and interact with the dinosaurs, not write down data on a clip board in a test tube lab all day.

After putting in the request, he was instantly put down the next day. Of course he wasn't happy with the woman, but there wasn't much he could do at that point except hope a miracle happened.

He didn't know how, but his previously turned down request had somehow reached Masrani, and he was suddenly given the position he'd been waiting for. He didn't question the mysterious miracle, but he did thank whoever was watching out for him.

Alan was then put on the team of researchers given the privilege of getting up close and personal with the creatures. He'd even made friends with the local raptor handler and the caretaker for the Tyrannosaur, Owen Grady and Alice Dearing.

He met Owen on his first routine check with the team through the park to check on the health and behavior of the animals, to see if they'd changed from previous weeks. He'd seen the trainer having trouble getting the raptors to follow his commands.

"Having trouble?" He chuckled, leaning against the railing of the walkway that overlooked the enclosure.

The man jumped, having been surprised by Alan's presence.

"Huh? Oh, nah. Sometimes they're just really hard-headed." Owen shook his head while looking down at the reptiles.

"They usually listen. You know, they imprinted on me at birth." He explained, making Alan nod.

"Just like a bird." Grant whispered under his breath, observing the raptors clearly for the first time since he'd gotten to the island.

"Excuse me?" Owen asked, raising his eyebrow.

"You yell and speak human words to them, but they'll never understand." Alan said, looking at the other man.

"Yeah I got that, I mostly just rely on hand gestures and specific words." Owen shrugged his shoulders, not knowing where Grant was getting at.

"Listen to how they communicate with each other." Alan held his hand up to silence the man, though he wasn't trying to come off as rude.

Owen nodded, looking down to his animals, listening closely.

"They're… chirping?" He questioned.

"Just like a bird. Birds communicate by giving off a certain number of chirps to each other."

"So you're saying I should chirp with them?" Owen asked skeptically.

Well, if you want, but you'll never understand them either way." Alan joked.

"True…"

"But they'll understand you. I'm not saying you should chirp yourself, but if you could get your hands on a clicker or something, you might have an easier time." Alan advised, leaning back up to stand.

Owen looked thoughtful for a moment, before facing Alan, holding his hand out to the man.

"Owen Grady, thanks for the help." He smirked.

"Alan Grant, let me know how it goes." Alan returned the expression.

"Well Alan, as thanks, let me buy you a drink sometime. The margaritas here are to die for." Owen offered.

"I'll think about it." The dinosaur researcher nodded, turning to take his leave.

* * *

A few weeks later, and a couple of drinks later, Alan and Owen became good friends. Though they took their jobs seriously, they often hit the bars and drug themselves back to Owen's bungalow where a bad hangover awaited them the next morning.

Their friendship is what also lead Alan to Alice Dearing.

On their day off, Owen decided to show Alan what happened behind the scenes of the Tyrannosaur paddock, wanting to introduce him to a friend.

Upon his first meeting with the redhead, the two men found her loading raw meat into the back of a cart with nothing but her bare hands, instead of using gloves or tools like everyone else.

Owen coughed, called the woman's name out. This made her look up, then she grinned, jogging over to the males.

"She's got a lot of spunk, but she's a great person." Owen leaned over slightly, whispering to the dinosaur expert through his teeth.

"Heya Owen!" Alice laughed, holding her hand out.

"Alice." Owen nodded, shaking the woman's hand.

She nodded back, before glancing to Grant.

"Who's your friend?"

"Alice Dearing, meet Alan Grant. He's the guy I told you about, the one that helped me with my little problem." He introduced the two.

"Hello Mr. Grant, it's a pleasure to meet you." Alice looking him up and down with an impressed grin, before holding her hand out to him as well.

"You too, and please. Doctor, not Mister." He gave a short smile before shaking her hand.

"Oh, a doctor huh?" She asked, feigning curiosity.

"Uh, yes ma'am." He nodded, now getting nervous.

"Well if I'm ever feeling under the weather I'll know who to call now." She gave a sly wink, pulling her hand back.

Alan could feel himself mentally roll his eye and facepalming. She was one of _those_ workplace woman.

As if she could read his mind, she started laughing.

"Hey I'm just kidding, no need to get all serious on me. Lighten up some, you're at the happiest place in the world." She held her arms out energetically, motioning to the people picking up meat and shoveling droppings.

"I'm ecstatic." Alan said sarcastically, smirking with a roll of his eyes.

She wrapped her arms around Alan and Owen's shoulder with a laugh.

"That's the spirit! I have a feeling the three of us are gonna be good friends!"

Something then clicked in Alan's head.

"Wait, your last name is Dearing, as in Claire Dearing? The lady running this place?" He asked.

For once the woman's excitement was gone, replaced with a calmer, softer smile.

"Yeah, she's my older sister, by two years. I have two older sisters in fact."

'Great, the woman who most likely hates my guts for no reason, and I just made friends with her sister.' Alan thought to himself, mentally sighing.

"I know you probably think Claire's an evil witch, but trust me, she's really nice once you get to know her." Alice claimed, as if she'd read his thoughts once again.

"Jesus I hope so, every time I've talked to her since I got here I just want to ring her neck." Alan chuckled.

Owen's face paled, never having heard anyone boldly talk about Claire that way, even if it was true. And to her little sister nonetheless!

Alice began laughing with the dinosaur expert.

"Trust me, I know the feeling. When you know the woman for twenty-six years, it kind of gets old."

Owen gasped at Alice as well, not expecting her to take Alan's side on the matter. Claire's own sister thought that about her?

"But her and I, we couldn't get any different. She prefers the office and technology, and I like being out here getting my hands dirty."

"There's something I can agree with." Alan nodded.

Before the conversation could continue any longer, a bell rang, signaling that anyone on break had to get back to work.

"Oh! I guess that's my queue. I'll catch you guys later?" Alice asked, slowly walking backwards.

"Sure!" Owen nodded.

"Great! See you Owen! Bye, _Dr. Grant_." She winked again, speaking his name seductively.

Her voice sent shivers down his back.

"So, what do think of her?" Owen asked, crossing his arms.

"I think she's tenacious."

"You have no idea." The raptor trainer agreed.

"You wanna know what I think?"

Alan looked at him, raising a brow.

"I think she digs you." Owen gave a smirk.

"Owen, if you continue that thought I will throw you to the Mosasaur." Alan pointed accusingly at his friend.

Owen quickly held his hands up in defense.

"Hey, yeah, no problem. No problem at all." He faked fear, before laughing as the two men walked away.

"Man, you two just met and she's all over you. Lucky dog!" Owen encouraged the idea.

"Seriously? Owen?" Alan glanced at him in disbelief.

"You're right, you're right."

Alan nodded, thinking it was over with.

"You should totally ask her out, once you get to know her better."

"Son of a…"

* * *

[Owen's Bungalow, North of the park]

Back in the current time, Alan sat at a small table with Alice as they watched Owen work on his motorcycle. Both sat in lawn chairs with cold beers in their hands, conversing over the current behavior of the island's local Tyrannosaur.

"Look, all I'm saying is that maybe the reason the Rex isn't as active is because she isn't actively hunting her prey." Alan explained.

"What would make you think that's the reason?" Alice asked, taking a swig of her beer.

"Well, you see this in modern day zoo animals. They aren't as active as they are in the wild because they're being catered to with frozen meat that's already been thawed out."

"And?"

"And because of this, they see no reason for anything other than lazing around. We're talking sixty-five million years of gut instinct. This is one of the largest predators to have ever lived. T-Rex wants to hunt, not be fed."

Alice stared at him for a moment, her motives hidden behind bright green eyes. Normally it would've made him uncomfortable, but he found himself being relaxed by the stare.

She then nodded, raising her bottle and taking another swig.

"You know, I can't believe Masrani didn't higher you sooner. You're really smart, but you're not afraid to get into the field either."

"Please, you were all doing fine before I got here." He looked down with a bashful grin, accepting the praise.

"It's true, you've been a big help in the time you've been here Alan." Owen cut in, walking over to take a drink of his own Miller.

"I'm just surprised you guys didn't figure out half the stuff I did before I got here." Alan shook his head.

"You're also right about that too. My sister likes to hire the best of the best to make sure the park is fine, but then she's got people who are here just for the good paying job. Sure they're good at it, but if they don't really like it, they get careless." Alice criticized her sister.

"Yeah, that's something I've noticed while I've been here." He nodded.

"Well, I think we should pack things up for today you guys." Owen said, looking across the ocean to see clouds coming in.

"It looks like weather department isn't doing their job."

"I'll talk to Claire about it." Alice laughed, getting up from her seat.

She then gathered Alan and Owen into a group hug.

"Thank you for letting me and Alan come hang with you today Owen." She thank him sincerely.

"Hey no problem, what would you two do without me?" He confidently puffed his chest out.

"She and her crazy sister would drive me up the wall and into the Rex feeder." Alan joked, pointing his thumb at the redhead.

"Hey!" She laughed, socking him in the arm.

"Get out of here you two! I have to finish some paper work to send to Claire for tomorrow." Owen grinned, picking up the beer bottles from the table.

"See you tomorrow Owen!" Alice energetically waved as she jumped into the jeep she and Alan had drove there.

Owen gave small wave, having Alan return the gesture with a nod.

* * *

[Staff Suites, East of the park]

The drive back to their suites was relatively quiet, with the two occasionally making small talk.

Once they were back, Alan put the vehicle in park and escorted Alice up to her room on the Sixth floor, where most of the higher up staff members stayed. This became routine for them any time they stayed out late, Alice needed a lift, or if they ever came back from a bar drunk off their asses.

Alan smiled at the memory of the last time him, Alice, and Owen went out for drinks. Owen started a bar fight, and Alan being the good friend he was, backed him up. To his surprise, Alice eagerly jumped in with a loud laugh and started throwing some mean right hooks.

"What'cha thinking about cowboy?" Alice glanced up at him with a smirk as they stood in the elevator. She'd started calling him that because of the hat he wore every day.

"Oh, you know, memories." He shrugged.

"Gotcha."

As they got to the final floor, they walked out and he trailed behind her to her door. Unlocking the door and lightly kicking it open, Alice turned to Alan with a hopeful look.

"You know, my offer still stands." She grinned slyly.

"You're offer?" He asked, not knowing what she meant.

"To stay the night in my room, cowboy." She leaned against the door frame, trying her best to lure him in for the bait.

Rolling his eyes chuckling, he wrapped her in a hug.

"Good night Alice."

He pulled back, seeing the momentary pout on her face, before her expression softened.

"Night Alan." She sighed, but never letting her smile leave her face. He knew she wouldn't give up.

"See you tomorrow at breakfast?" She asked.

"Sure thing." He began heading back for the elevator.

He heard the door close, but he still heard the loud "YES!" that came from her room. Stepping into the elevator, he laughed to himself, thinking how had made the right choice to come to the island.

* * *

 **And there we have it, the first chapter! The following chapters will lead into the events of Jurassic World, but they'll mostly focus on Alan, Alice, and Owen and their lives in the park. Do you want me to continue this, or no? Hope you guys enjoyed it, and let me know what you thought!**


	2. Chapter 2

**How Life Finds a Way**

 **Chapter 2: Coffee and Dinosaurs  
**

 **Jurassic World is owned by Amblin Entertainment, Legendary Pictures, and Universal Pictures.**

 **Luckily though, Alice is mine!**

 **1\. Thank you for all the positivity guys. It means a lot considering this is my first non-anime related story, I really didn't know how this would go.**

 **2\. I'm glad everyone likes Alice. I made her a complete opposite from Claire and her sister, both serious business women with the older one being slightly more laid back. With Alice being younger, I figured I'd give her a special bond her sisters, but also this distance that they'll never be able to understand about her that Owen and Alan can.**

 **3\. To JJChandler, that is a definite yes. I will be in fact incorporating different species of dinosaurs into the story. That is one of the very few things I think the movie lacked, was diversity, as they only brought back old species excluding the Mosasaur and Indominus Rex.**

 **4\. And the concept of a younger Alan working a Jurassic World came to me when I was watching the original movie. The plot for using the first park is used to much in my opinion, but often Alan is a forgotten character even though he is the main character, and my favorite of the franchise.**

 **5\. Also, forgot to mention but if you want to know what Alice looks like or want an idea, google Jane Levy.**

* * *

[Jurassic World, Plaza Area 8:43 A.M.]

Alan Grant was typically a morning person, having spent many weeks in the Montana Badlands getting up at six in the morning and even getting up early in college. He could control what time he woke up, what he watched on TV in the morning, what he had for breakfast. One thing he couldn't control, though, was whether he had a good morning or a bad morning.

Like, say for instance, him not getting his I-Pad to work. All he'd wanted to pull up his schedule for the day, but to do this it required a password and ID, both of which he'd forgotten. After an hour of cursing and beating the device against his kitchen counter, he was finally about to throw the darn thing away and request a new one from Claire, when a knock came from his door.

"Who is it?" He asked in a very irritated voice.

"It's Alice! Is everything okay in there?"

Alice. Of course she would be passing by just as he was having one of his technology episodes.

Opening the door for her, he met the redhead in the doorway.

"Uh, hey Alice. What can I do you for?"

"Oh nothing, I was just on my way to Starbucks for some coffee. That is, until I heard some very obscene words coming from your suite. Now I wonder why that is?" She spoke with curiosity and a hint of playfulness.

He stared at her for a moment, shocked that she'd heard everything. With a sigh, he held out his tablet to her, which now had a large crack leading across the screen.

"I… Can't get the damn thing to work." He mumbled while scratching his face.

"Lemme see it." She took it and began to tap it a few times. The woman had to stifle a giggle from the thought of Alan getting so angry just because of a little tablet.

"Here." She handed it back to him.

He was in shock, again! Staring at the screen, he'd found that she was able to get him into the Jurassic World staff work site. Now he could see his schedule!

"By the way, it wouldn't work because you kept tapping on 'create new account'." She said with amusement in her voice.

This made him red in the face with embarrassment.

"God I hate technology." He grumbled, setting the tablet on the dresser by the door.

"So what are you doing now?" She asked, hoping he was free.

"Well…"

They both had another hour before their shifts started, so Alice offered Alan a cup of coffee. He initially declined, not wanted her to spend her money on him and not wanting to trouble her, but she waved him off with a grin.

"It's on me! Besides, what are friends for?" She looped her arm through his and walked him down the plaza area.

Now both Alan and Alice sat under the patio of the local Starbucks of Jurassic World. Alan wasn't much of a coffee person himself, but as he watched Alice down her hot beverage, he began to wonder if this was where she acquired all of that energy he'd seen her display over the last few weeks.

Since he'd met her, the two had become close friends, often spending a lot of time with each other in their off time. He had to admit that he honestly didn't know if Owen was trying to set him up with the lively redhead, or if he'd just been trying to help Alan spread out his variety of friends.

He did have to admit to it though, for a guy who had a job that required him to spend most of his time outside with other people digging through dirt, he wasn't the most social person. So up until his job at Jurassic World, his only friend for the most part, was Ellie. Owen was probably able to pick up on this the first day they met at the raptor paddock, as the only thing the paleontologist talked about that day was his theories on the prehistoric reptiles, only to find out that most of them were true.

Alan wasn't dumb. He knew he wasn't the greatest person to have around for company, but he did try.

When he went into one of his rants about the habits of the ex-extinct animals, Owen was only able to offer what he knew about his raptors to the conversation, and he was pretty sure most of the time the ex-Navy man pretended to know what Alan was talking about.

As much as that pissed him off, he couldn't blame his friend, as it was part of Owen's personality and he also hadn't studied his whole life to learning what he could about prehistoric life.

Alice, on the other hand, didn't have that much trouble understanding him. She'd gone to college at the University of Michigan, taken classes in biological and prehistoric sciences, but she'd ultimately gotten her degree in Zoology. She was a smart woman, and could've literally gotten a job doing anything else with Claire backing her, but she'd chosen to be part of the resort's animal care team. So he learned that she'd spent the better part of two years feeding and cleaning up after the dinosaurs here on the island.

He shook his head at the idea. As much as he loved and was amazed with these creatures, he wouldn't be caught dead cleaning up after Rexy was finished with her "business". Yet, here she was, just as energetic about her job as the first day he'd met her.

"Alan!"

Her voice shook him from his reminiscing thoughts, turning to her with his ever present frown. Upon observation of her facial features, he couldn't really see how she and Claire could be sisters, besides the fact that they both had red hair and they were blood related. Claire had a stern, hard set face befitting a business woman such as herself. Alice on the other hand, had softer features that complimented her laid-back, yet energetic personality.

"Hm?" He grunted, taking a sick of his black coffee.

As they stared at each other, she made a confused look, as if she was trying to figure him out.

"Don't you ever smile?" She began laughing, before drinking some of her latte.

God, he could still remember when Ellie use to ask him that, of course she was just poking fun at him. He honestly couldn't help it, what with growing up with a strict childhood, he had to be tough so he adopted a tough face. Besides, Alice was genuinely curious about it, at least that's what he thought.

"Sure I do, sometimes…" He joked, giving a small, half-grin before taking another sip of his coffee.

"That counts! You just smiled!" Alice quickly leaned back in her chair, throwing her finger at him with a large smile.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He mumbled, slightly turning his head to try and hide the ever growing smirk on his face.

When he looked back at her, he didn't have time to protest as he suddenly found himself in the crosshairs of her phone's camera. The SNAP sound of the camera going off told him that she'd indeed taken a picture of him.

"What was that for?" He asked, not too keen on people taking his picture.

She looked down at the device for a few more seconds before looking at him with a soft smile.

"Memories." She simply stated, putting her phone back into her pocket.

"I wanted to save all the fun times I have with you and Owen here on the island, you two are my best friends after all."

Best friends? They'd only known each other for a few weeks and she already considered them to be on that level? He'd guessed that only showed how trusting she was.

"I can delete it if you want."

He was shocked at her statement, but shook his head.

"I don't mind, just don't you go showing every other worker on the island." He jokingly pointed a finger back at her, with a mock glare.

"Oh? And what'll happen to me if it does get out?" She asked, leaning forward with a hint of mystery in her voice.

"Let's just say Claire might find a picture of you raiding the Ben and Jerry's back room." He leaned forward, gained a glint of mischief in his eye as well.

She gave a hard gasp, before slowly leaning forward some more. How did anyone find out about that? Lowery was supposed to make sure the camera was turned off!

"You wouldn't!"

"Try me." He gave a relaxed smirk, leaning back in his chair and putting his arms behind his head.

She then rolled her eyes in a circle, as if in thought for a second.

"And what would it take to keep word from getting out?" She squinted her eyes at him.

They both kept a hard stare on each other, until Alan broke the ice.

"Well, you could keep that picture just between you and me…" He trailed off, wanted to see what her reaction was.

She then leaned in even closer over the table, if that was even possible. The redhead made a face like she was expecting him to say something else.

"And you can let me pay for the coffee." He smirked, pulling five dollars from his wallet.

"Wait, what?" Alice blinked for a moment in confusion, seeing that the waiter had finally come for the ticket.

"Will that be all?" The woman asked, taking the bill and reaching into her apron for some change.

"Now hold on just a minute!" The redhead raised her brow.

"Is there a problem?" The waitress asked nervously, wondering if she'd made a mistake.

"Hell yes! I didn't agree to you paying." Alice puffed out her cheeks.

Alan only stared for a second, before giving a small chuckle.

"Oh this is fantastic." He muttered to himself.

"We-well it doesn't matter who pays, just as long as someone does." The brunette said, wondering if she should also give Alan his dollar back.

"And that SOMEONE will be me!" Alice declared as she dug into her purse for her wallet.

Alan rolled his eyes and grabbed his hat, setting it on his head as he got up from his seat.

"Keep the change, but whatever you do, don't let her pay." He whispered to the woman.

"But… She's looking for money right now. It looks like she's intent on paying for this coffee." She answered back.

"Then take it and make her think she paid for it." He shrugged, and began walking away.

"Here it is!" Alice exclaimed, holding a debit card out to the woman.

"But sir-!" The waitress began to call for Alan.

"You'll think of something!" He waved over his shoulder, never looking back.

Now at odds, the Starbucks worker stood there, baffled at how she'd landed herself into this situation.

* * *

[Raptor Paddock, 10:05 A.M.]

Once Alan had gotten to the paddock, he could already tell that it was going to be a long day, as he could see Owen in the middle of a heated conversation with an overweight, middle aged man.

"What the Hell?" He quietly asked himself as he unbuckled and got out of the vehicle.

As he slowly made his way up the stairs to the walkway, he could hear the distress in Owen's voice get louder and louder.

"Damnit Hoskins I you this isn't what the raptors were made for so just let it go!" The handler waved his hand furiously at the older man.

"You'll see Owen, you all will! This will save lives one day, it could end wars!" The man, now known as Hoskins pointed his finger at Owen, going to leave until he caught site of Alan.

"You! Come here!" He gestured to the paleontologist.

Alan had to bite back the urge to reply back with "who me?", but ultimately decided against it. Seeing as this man could possibly rank higher than him on Masrani's work force, he didn't want to risk losing his job.

"You're the new dinosaur expert Claire and Masrani hired a month or two back right?"

"Yes sir. I am." Alan let out a sigh, not liking the way the man had just referred to him.

"Alan Grant, this is Vic Hoskins. He's the head of the security here at Jurassic World. Vic Hoskins, meet Alan Grant. He's a member of the research and behavioral division here."

"Nice to meet you Mr. Grant." Vic held his hand out to shake.

"It's Dr. actually, and likewise so far." Alan gave his best smile to hide the sarcasm in his voice.

"Tell me Dr. Grant, as I would love a second opinion on the matter." He gave a side glance to Owen, who rolled his eyes, as if he already knew what Alan's answer would be.

"What would the chances be of successfully breed raptors like these for military usage?" He asked, placing his hands on his rounded hips.

A moment passed by.

Then two.

Then a third went by, before Alan finally processed what the man had exactly asked.

"I… I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" Alan asked seriously, picking at his ear to make sure no wax was messing with his hearing.

Hoskins looked confused for a moment, then offended at Alan's response.

"I asked, what do you think about raptors like these being bred for military purposes, and what are the chances of the project being successful?" He asked again, though more clearly and loudly this time.

This time Alan had heard the man correctly, though was still in shock at the question. He looked from Hoskins to Owen, who just rolled his eyes and shrugged, then back to Hoskins. The Montana native almost broke out into laughter, thinking the man was telling a sick joke.

"Oh God, you're serious about this, aren't you?" Alan asked, scrunching up his face at the sheer stupidity of the idea.

"As a heart attack, Dr. Grant." Hoskins gave a look that said he wasn't amused with Alan's response to his question.

Alan took a minute to ponder an answer for the man, when the chirping of the Velociraptors reached his ears. Looking down, he saw them pass by in a pack, at high speeds that would give a cheetah a run for its hide. He was then reminded of how dangerous these creatures were, and how catastrophic it would be they were set free among the public.

"With all due respect, sir. This is a terrible, and I mean horrible idea." He offered his opinion.

"Excuse me?" The older man asked, not believing that he was being ganged up on.

"Not only is this a terrible idea, but it could possibly top the ten worst ideas in history. Even in war, I wouldn't wish this kind of death on my worst enemy. These animals have sixty-five million years of wild instinct that have been suppressed, and now that they're back from the dead there's no possible way we could ever understand these creatures in a way that we could ever control them. There would be no enemy for them, only food." Alan finished, giving a serious expression to the man.

"So no Mr. Hoskins, I do not think that this is the greatest of ideas. It could never possibly work." He finished, offering his two cents on the matter at hand.

Hoskins gave a glare, before slowly nodding at Alan.

"I see that no one around here envisions change for the betterment of the world like I do." He began to make his way off the walkway and out of the paddock.

"You watch yourself Grant, or you can kiss your new job goodbye!" The oversized man called to them.

Both Alan and Owen watched the man waddle his way to a InGen jeep that was parked outside the compound, before he abruptly started it up and left.

"Hey, sorry for you getting involved in that, he's the residential douchebag. But thanks for coming to the rescue." Owen thanked his friend, patting the younger man on the shoulder.

"Good timing was all it was, but now I'm starting to think it was bad timing." He shook his head.

"Why is that?"

"Because Claire's shit list isn't the only list I'm on now." Alan sighed, taking off his hat and rubbing the sweat from his hair.

"Trust me, you'll get used to it. They'll never do anything as long as you do your job right. Especially Hoskins. That guy is all bark."

"For your sake, and mine, I hope you're right."

The rest of the morning and afternoon was spent with Owen running the girls through various exercises, and Alan jotting down notes on their behavior patterns and their health status. After they were done for the evening, Owen found Alan in the little office above the paddock writing on his clipboard.

"So…" Owen began, hoping to get the man's attention.

"No." The paleontologist said without even looking up from his work.

"But I wasn't even gonna ask anything!" Owen groaned like a child.

"Didn't have to."

"Aw c'mon man!"

Giving a sigh, Alan put his clipboard down and gave a forced smile to his friend.

"Well then, let's hear it then."

"Well I heard from a guy, that you and a certain redhead had coffee at Starbucks this morning." Owen slowly wandered his way to a chair that sat on the other side of the table Alan sat at.

"Is that so?"

"Yep!"

"Is that it?" Alan raised his brows, giving a questioning look.

Alan's reaction to Owen's news had surprised the man. He'd expected Grant to be blushing and begging him not to tell anyone, or something along those lines.

"Yes?" Owen answered back, unsure of himself.

"Owen if you're looking for dirt, you can look somewhere else." Alan just sighed and returned to writing down details about Echo's Behavioral habits.

"What? No, it's nothing like that!" The raptor trainer waved his hands around.

"I was just wondering if there was something between you two or…?"

"No Owen, there is nothing going on between myself and Ms. Dearing."

"Ha! Gotcha!" Owen pointed a finger at the dinosaur expert.

"What are you going on about?"

"You never call her 'Ms. Dearing'. You only call Claire that when you talk to her or you're pissed about something she did! You only call her Alice, or Ali when it's just us three!"

"You've got a pretty big mouth, you know that Owen?" Alan looked at the man with a humorous, yet serious glare.

"So I've been told."

"And you wonder why I don't tell anyone about my private life."

"Hey bro, your secret is safe with me!"

Alan only gave a blank stare.

"There is no secret Owen."

"So you openly admit to liking her?"

"Owen, we're about to see how much your girls imprinted on you."

"Right. Gotcha. We're done. No more on the subject!" Owen made a zipping gesture on his lips.

"Good."

A moment passed by.

"You weren't serious were you?"

The two men stared at each other.

"Alan?"

Grant gave a small chuckle as he finished up his paperwork and got up from his chair, making his way out of the office.

"Hey come on Alan that's not funny!" Owen hastily got up and followed his friend out the door.

* * *

[Claire's Office, 8:04 P.M.]

"We'll have a busy schedule these next few weeks. Tomorrow we have an employee meeting in the main room of the Innovation Center before the park opens to discuss management and care for assets and visitors." Claire explained, looking through the itinerary on her tablet.

After a long day, and a long week of busy work, she'd finally found some time to spend with her sister. So she invited Alice to her office for some delivery dinner.

"Uh huh." Alice nodded, staring out the window that overlooked the resort. At first she was happy to be able to visit with Claire, not being able to see her much with her sister's busy schedule. And of course, during their only time to have some sisterly bonding, all Claire wants to do is talk about work.

"Also, with summer beginning, we will see more tourists every week. And with the temperature like it is, more people will be vacating the restaurants and creameries. The assets will also be more active as well, needing more water and food to make it through the heat, especially the carnivores."

"Interesting." Alice said off-handedly again, only thinking back to the events of her morning. To her memory, that had been the longest she'd ever hung out with Alan, with it just being them two. She was inwardly screaming in excitement.

The dinosaur expert probably didn't think much of it, and she was still pretty pissed that he'd gone out of the way to make sure she didn't pay for that coffee, but it was a huge step to her! It probably wasn't much of a surprise, or much of one at all to anyone on the island, but Alice had it bad for Alan Grant. She didn't even care about Owen's teasing, she had dirt on him because of his awkward date with her sister, she had feelings and she wasn't afraid of admitting it either if the way she acted around Alan himself was anything to go off of.

"This means as usual, we'll have to spread out the staff as much as possible, meaning you will have to work with who you can get. Though, there is the option of getting interns…" Claire stopped her talking when she noticed that Alice hadn't been paying attention.

"Alice?"

The younger Dearing sister snapped her head up at the mention of her name.

"Hm?"

"Did you hear any of what I just said?" Claire asked, giving a 'really?' face.

"Uh…" Alice trailed off, her eyes slowly roaming across the room, and over her sister's head to try and figure something out.

"We were talking about Summer time, weren't we?" She asked, lifting her shoulders in doubt.

Claire sighed, looking down at her tablet, resisting the urge to throw it in the trash can.

"It's fine, don't worry about it. Now isn't the time for work anyways." Claire waved her sister off, setting her device to the side of her desk, ignoring the email Hoskins sent her from earlier today.

"I expected it anyways, it's cool." Alice went back to staring out the window.

Claire made a face, almost offended.

"That hurt, it almost sounded like you think all I do is work."

"Well you do, don't you?" Alice shook her head in a sarcastic tone.

"Not all the time! I make time for fun!" Claire crossed her arms and puffing out her cheeks, which were now a light shade of pink.

"Oh stop, you know I'm joking!" Alice grinned.

"I'm not sure what I know anymore, since I don't know what fun is apparently." The older sister said with feigned hurt in her voice.

"Are you kidding me? That time you replaced Karen's shampoo with blue hair dye was phenomenal! I would've never thought of that."

"She still doesn't know it was me, mostly because I blamed on the cousins when the family got together for Thanksgiving."

"And she still thinks it was them!" Alice said as both sisters laughed at the memory.

A moment passed by once the laughter died down.

"Gosh I miss this." Claire looked down at her desk, her eyes running over the paperwork that had managed to stack up over time.

"What, spending time with your little sister or acting like a teen?" Alice asked.

"Both."

"Amen to that."

Claire looked back at her younger sister, finally feeling like the time was now to bring up a different subject.

"So…"

"So?" Alice gave a confused look.

"I heard from Zara that you and Dr. Grant were having coffee together this morning." The older sister gave a sly glance to Alice.

Alice's face burned brightly. Of course Zara saw them together this morning! The British woman went to Starbucks every morning. And of course she would tell Claire! The girl was a sucker for gossip.

"Well you see, it started early this morning when I was leaving the staff suite, and as I was passing Dr. Grant's room I could hear him yelling curses and making all kinds of noise…" She began to explain the events from earlier.

* * *

 **Thanks again for all positive reviews! I hope to turn this story into something, but only if you guys want me to continue with it. I'm just so hyped about Fallen Kingdom that I had to make a Jurassic story of my own. Again I appreciate you guys. Let me know what you thought of this chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

**How Life Finds a Way**

 **Chapter 3: New Assets**

 **Jurassic Park and Jurassic World franchise is owned by Amblin Entertainment, Legendary Pictures, and Universal Pictures.**

* * *

[Jurassic World, Triceratops Territory]

Alan had been examining a sick Triceratops that had suddenly stopped moved with the herd. So after the ACU tranquilized the animal, the veterinary team along with himself were able to move in without having to worry about being charged. While the doctors began to figure out what was wrong with the giant reptile, Alan was jotting down any sort of behavior that might have stood out from the usual sickness that came with being a dinosaur, but right off the bat he noticed something wrong with its stomach.

It was heaving up and down rapidly, and weirdly colored saliva was drooling down the animal's mouth.

The paleontologist stood up, coming to the realization of the problem.

"Are there any non-native plants on the island?" He asked one of the vets.

A small Latino woman looked up at him with furrowed brows, as if asking why.

"I don't think so, Masrani made sure of that before rebuilding the resort on top of the old one, though it's possible one species may have survived." She explained.

"Radio back to the lab, I want a list of all the known species of plant life on the island. If it turns out there are toxic plants here and we don't know about it, this Triceratops won't be the only one we have to worry about." He told her, before turning to head back to his jeep, before seeing a certain redheaded park manager standing in front of the vehicle.

"Ms. Dearing." He nodded at her, giving a tip of his hat and walking passed her, hoping that she'd just been coming to check up on the dinosaur.

"Good morning, Dr. Grant." She replied back, turning to follow him.

This wasn't the case.

Stopping and giving a loud sigh, Alan turned to Claire.

"And what do I owe this visit?"

From there, Claire had drug him away from his work on the Trike, and opted to drive him back to the park. She'd explained that Masrani was introducing two new assets in a few days and he wanted Grant's expertise on the animals so that they would know what kind of precautions to take before putting the animals in their new enclosures.

God he hated it whenever she used that word.

Literally every time she referred to the dinosaurs it was either 'animal' or 'asset'. It was like she only thought of them as a bunch of numbers or X's and O's.

Back on the subject at hand, on the way back to the park Alan had asked what the new dinosaurs were, and why she wanted him to check it out. He didn't really want to check it out, as curious as the thought of two new dinosaurs were, his work just came before everything else.

"Because Dr. Grant, you're one of the best in your field. Mr. Masrani wanted your input and expertise on these certain animals, so we can know what kind of precautions to take before we place them in their enclosures." Claire explained as she drove the Mercedes down the dirt road.

"I take it by the way you just said that, that these are carnivorous animals?" He asked, a feeling of fear growing in his chest.

Why was it that this place got crazier every week?

"You'd be correct." She spared him a small, sideways smile.

"And why in the Hell would you guys want to breed and bring more carnivores to the park? Isn't the Tyrannosaurus enough?" He asked, dumbfounded.

"While this is true, and the Rex itself is the highest grossing attraction here at the park, some of the higher ups over the park and Masrani feel the need to bring in more diverse carnivores to the island. They feel like there aren't enough big dinosaurs with teeth."

"Big dinosaurs with teeth? Ms. Dearing, with all due respect, don't you feel like one Tyrannosaur is enough to appease crowds? I mean Herbivores come in numerous varieties, all shapes and sizes, I'm sure the park could use more Hadrosaurs in the Gyrosphere Valley-" Claire interrupted him.

"Dr. Grant, I'm sure you have your concerns about introducing new carnivores to the resort, but rest assured that's why Mr. Masrani is asking for your help." She explained to him.

Alan knew what he said didn't really matter as far as opinions on what went on in the park, but as long as Masrani took his advice on what to do with the dinosaurs, he could use that to make things go along as safely as possible.

"So, what are these new 'assets'?" He asked as they exited the through some gates.

"You'll find them in the packet on the console." She gestured to the small packet of paper that was stapled together, in the middle of them on the console.

He took note of the glare she gave him when he mocked her speech of the word 'asset'.

Picking up the papers and flipping to the first page, his eyes nearly popped from their sockets.

"Claire are you kidding me?" He yelled at her in a mix of outrage and surprise.

"Is there something wrong Dr. Grant?" She asked, not liking how he just referred to her with her name.

He flipped to the next page in a frenzy, to see if the second dinosaur was any worse.

" _Ms. Dearing_ , Masrani can't be serious about these two dinosaurs, I don't think they're the best choices to introduce to the public. Especially with their paddocks in such close proximity to the Tyrannosaur pen." He all but dropped the packet due to the sheer amount of shock he was feeling at the moment.

"I can assure you, Dr. Grant, that Mr. Masrani was very clear about his choice of animal."

Alan stared at her, his eyes wide and mouth gaping, then stared back down at the packet.

"Shit." He muttered under his breath.

* * *

[Jurassic World, Jurassic World Lagoon]

Alan watched with slight concern as construction workers were beginning to finish up with a new paddock, dubbed paddock 10.

There was a good portion of the walkway closed so that the construction team could do their jobs, leaving at least enough room for five people to cross through at the same time.

The paddock was just as big as, if not bigger than the Tyrannosaur paddock, and they were still adding onto it. The monster going in there was going to rival Rexy in size.

"This is a bad idea." Alan mumbled to himself, feeling the fear slowly level itself out in his chest.

"Ah! Dr. Grant, so glad you could make it here today!" He turned to see the ever ecstatic Simon Masrani walking towards him.

"Not like I had much of a choice." He half-joked, shaking the man's hand with a small smile.

"Nonsense, you could've refused, but I insisted it be you so I could show my colleagues that I only hire the best." The Indian man confessed.

"Well it's good to know you think highly of me." Alan said, accepting the compliment.

"Come, Claire and her sister are waiting at the enclosure, we mustn't keep them waiting." Simon hurried the younger man putting an arm around his shoulder.

"The enclosure? You mean we're going to see the animals?" He asked incredulously.

"Yes, of course. I want to know what we're dealing with, and if any precautions besides the normal ones must be made."

"Sir, with all due respect, I just hope we're not making a mistake here." Alan expressed his concern as they jumped into a company vehicle.

"A mistake?" The CEO looked at Alan confused.

"What I mean is, I hope you aren't underestimating the power of this place. Of these animals." He looked at his boss with a serious demeanor.

"These creatures may be animals, but they're in a time that isn't their own. One day they'll realize where they really stand in the animal kingdom, above us, and when they do it won't be pretty. The only reason this park has thrived so far is because we haven't upset them or interrupted the balance on nature here on an isolated island. With the limited populations and amount of freedom they have, the conditions are just right. Just please, don't upset this balance, Mr. Masrani." Alan warned.

Simon stared back at the paleontologist for a moment, as if contemplating his words, then nodded.

"I will take your words to heart, Dr. Grant." He smiled, starting up the Mercedes and beginning the drive.

* * *

[Somewhere southeast of the resort]

The Dearing sisters had arrived at the holding enclosure a few minutes ago. Once Claire left Alan with Masrani, she went to pick up Alice. Once there, Claire decided to go and wait inside for Mr. Masrani and Dr. Grant.

"Wow, this place is huge!" Alice exclaimed in awe at the structure before her and Claire.

"As always, your perception is spot on Alice." Claire remarked with a hint of sarcasm and a slight smirk, before continuing to the paddock with her sister close behind her.

"But yes, the walls are over forty feet high, six feet thick concrete. Though, that should be expected when housing an animal that will one day be as large as the T-Rex, or maybe bigger."

"Bigger than the…" Alice's face went white, as if her mind was slowly processing what her sister said.

"Bigger than the Tyrannosaurus?" She repeated herself, this time finishing her sentence.

"That's what I said." Claire gave a nod, opening the door to the paddock, walking in after her sister.

Alice put a hand to her forehead, which was heating up almost as if she were going light headed, but she was fine. Then she thought it was shock at the revelation.

"Wow… What is it?" She turned to Claire as they now stood in a small control room.

"I actually don't know, Dr. Wu never told me, nor did I read the file I gave to Dr. Grant." Claire face palmed at the last part, giving a groan.

Great. She was so busy that she'd forgotten to read up on the new asset before they got here.

"I guess we'll find out when they get here." The business woman crossed her arms in a sigh.

"Or, we could check it out now and find out later." Alice gave an excited grin.

"No, we're waiting for Mr. Masrani and Dr. Grant." Claire stood firm, though rolled her eyes, reminding herself that Alice was still her _little_ sister.

"But if you want to go ahead and check it out by yourself, you can." She gave a small smile.

"Thanks Claire!" Alice gave a wave and ran out the other door of the room.

"Honestly, how does she have so much energy?" Claire mumbled to herself, shaking her head slightly.

While no one's enthusiasm for dinosaurs matched Alan's, it was Alice's curiosity that drove her to see it before everyone else

As Alice entered the observatory room, her jogging slowed to a steady walk, noticing that the atmosphere of the room had gone cold and rigid. Chills went up her neck and arm, prompting her to rub her hands over the aforementioned areas.

Walking over to the glass that overlooked most of the enclosure, her curiosity began to sink to the pit of her stomach, and her body began to feel heavy. The redhead shook this feeling away, passing it off as just being eager to see the new dinosaur.

"Now where are you?" She quietly asked herself, her eyes scanning every part of the paddock that wasn't lined with lush trees.

It was then that the temperature of the room went even lower, but she wasn't physically cold.

No. It was a feeling she hadn't since she was a kid.

Alice took a slow, long drawn out glance to her left, seeing nothing but the wind moving trees.

THUMP

She began shaking uncontrollably, wrapping her arms around each other. Why was she feeling like this?

THUMP

Alice jumped again, but refused to look to her right, too afraid to call for Claire as well.

* * *

Masrani and Alan had finally arrived at the paddock, with Alan being the first out of the Mercedes, a bad feeling sinking in his chest.

"Dr. Grant, why are you in such a hurry? The animal isn't going anywhere." Masrani called to the dinosaur expert.

"It's not safe for them to be inside there by themselves." Alan retorted, not looking back as he began his fast paced walk to the paddock.

"Do not worry! Precautions have been taken to ensure safety Dr. Grant!" The Indian man ran after his employee.

* * *

Alice froze at the sound of a loud, low grumble. Looking at the floor, she could see a large shadow begin to overtake her own

"What the Hell?" She mumbled to herself, slightly turning her head to her right.

Her eyes widened in shock and fear as they made contacted with large yellow ones. Before her stood a giant monster with white stripes over pitch black skin. It's large, broad skull was only inches away from the glass, fogging it up every time it took a breath out. Its arms were short, but still longer than the Tyrannosaur's arms.

It was staring into her very soul, almost daring her to make a move. The redhead could feel the aggression rolling off the animal in waves.

She needed to get out of here, no longer feeling safe. This thing was different from the T-Rex.

Alice took a slight step back with her right foot.

'If only I can get to the door.' She thought to herself nervously.

But she never got the chance to take another step back. The dinosaur gave a loud, blood-curdling roar that made the entire room shake. Alice had to cover her ears from fear of going deaf. She knew it was only a few feet away, but she closed her eyes, wishing that the monster would just go away.

SLAM

A door being violently flung open against a wall sounded throughout the room.

"Alice!"

The mentioned redhead slowly began to open her eyes, realizing that it was Alan calling her name.

When her vision came back, she could see that the giant was already leaving, going to the opposite end of the paddock from the observatory.

She was then relieved, knowing that if it had wanted to, that thing could've attacked her at any time. The glass was thick, strong enough to stop a bullet from a sniper rifle, but she doubted it would stop this thing if it wanted to bust through.

Alan, Claire, and Masrani then ran over to her to check on her.

"Oh, I'm so glad you're okay!" Claire enveloped her little sister in a big hug.

"Come on Claire, I'm fine, it's not like anything bad happened." Alice tried to comfort her older sister, who was trying to keep herself from crying.

"You're sister is right, Alice, you're too valuable to lose. Who would we find to replace you if you were eaten?" Masrani joked with a bright smile, trying to lighten the mood.

"You guys worry too much." Alice laughed, her regular personality returned as if it never left.

"We need to get out of here."

Everyone suddenly turned to Alan, who was by the glass, staring at the giant carnivore.

"Is everything alright Alan?" Alice asked, leaving her sister's arms to join the man by the glass.

Her blood then went cold when she saw the dinosaur. It was staring right at them from the other side of the paddock.

It reared back and gave another loud roar, and took a step forward.

"We need to leave." Alan repeated himself, pushing Alice behind himself and slowly backing away.

Said woman gulped and nodded quickly, following his lead, while Claire and Masrani had already made it towards the door.

"Get me the ACU team, now!" Masrani yelled into the control room.

The monster took another step, then another, until it broke out into a full on run. It roared again, breaking into a charge, clearly aiming to bust through the glass.

"Come on, hurry!" Claire urged, waving her arms.

"Go, go!" Alan grabbed Alice's hand, clearing half the distance of the room before the dinosaur reached them.

It gave on final roar before ramming its head into the glass, instantly breaking through the barrier.

The force of the impact made Alan fall to the ground, bringing Alice with him, but wrapped his arms around her and brought her close.

The monster flailed its head wildly throughout the room, snapping its jaws and struggling to keep itself inside, as its massive body was hanging over the edge outside. It roared out angrily, trying to reach Alan and Alice, but the pair just scooted further away until they backed themselves up against the wall.

"Alice!" Claire shouted her sister's name, wanting to go save her sister, but not wanted to be eaten at the same time.

Just as it seemed that the dinosaur would reach them, as it got closer every time it lurched its head forward, the sound of a helicopter came from overhead. Three gunshots sounded off before the monster's movements began to slow. The slow struggling turned into limp movement, as the animal was now tranquilized.

"Alice!" Claire called again as she and Masrani were now by the pair's side.

Her sister never answered her, never even looked her. She had her head buried deep into Alan's neck, clutching to the man's body for dear life, shaking as if she were just dowsed in freezing cold water.

"Ms. Dearing, are you alright?" Masrani tried his luck, offering a gentle hand.

Still no response. Not even a glance.

"Alice."

This time she looked up, knowing it was Alan that had said her name.

He could see the fear for her life in her eyes, if she didn't already think she was dead. With a sigh, he calmly picked himself up from the ground, ignoring the cuts he'd gotten from flying glass and helped her up.

"Come on, let's get you out of here." He wrapped his arm around her waist and grabbed her hand, slowly walking her from the paddock.

* * *

Outside the paddock, Alan stood with Masrani watching as Claire sat in the back of an ambulance with Alice. The former redhead slowly looked at him, gave him a small smile and a shaky thumbs up.

"What is that thing?" Owen asked, walking up to the two men.

The raptor handler had rushed over on his motorcycle as soon as he'd caught wind of the accident, especially when he heard that it revolved around Alan and Alice.

"Giganotosaurus Carolinii." Alan answered back.

"Meaning Giant Southern Lizard. It was the largest predator to walk South America. They hunted in pairs and groups, at least that's what we think, because they preyed on animals much bigger than they were. That would also explain the aggression." He explained.

"Well that sounds like a great idea!" Owen said with a great amount of sarcasm.

"Because of what happened today, we know what kind of precautions to take from now on gentlemen." Masrani said seriously, not being amused with Owen's antics.

"Like?" Alan asked.

"Making the observatory higher." He looked at the paddock.

"That's a good start. Though, I would also put some mood stabilizers in its food. Unlike that old Tyrannosaur, this thing is young and full of aggressive energy, so there's no telling how it will lash out at us."

"Or tourists." Masrani added, to which the paleontologist nodded.

"I would also get some one-way glass, like police use. That way it would never see tourists or staff when they come to see it." Owen added as well.

"Good idea." Masrani pointed at the Navy man.

"What about the other dinosaur you mentioned today? We still have to check that one out." Alan said.

"That can wait. This must be cleaned up and contained before anything else. Besides, I think you and Ms. Dearing have earned the day off, considering what you just went through."

Before the conversation could go on any longer, Masrani's phone began to ring.

"Excuse me gentlemen, I must take this."

And with that, he walked away, Alan assumed that he was talking to some high up businessman.

"Hey, you sure you're okay?" Owen put a hand on Alan's shoulder.

"Yeah, just a reality check is all." Alan nodded, giving a small smile.

"True that." He chuckled, patting the man's back.

Just then, Alice walk over, a blanket wrapped around shoulders.

"I'm gonna go check on Claire." Owen proclaimed.

Alan nodded, before looking to Alice.

"Hey."

"Hey…" She answered back.

A moment of silence went on between them before Alice broke it.

"So, I think I'll stick to the T-Rex as far as any meat eating dinosaurs go." She joked, giving a slight chuckle, though it showed she forced it when Alan saw her clutch the blanket.

"Sounds like a plan." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder as the two began to walk to a company vehicle.

"You gonna be okay after today?" He asked, even though he knew Claire probably asked the same thing multiple times.

It took her a minute, but she finally responded with a nod.

"Masrani gave me some time off, but assured him I was fine after a day or two."

"Good, because I can hear a nice warm shower calling our names." He added.

"Together?" She added, a twinkling hope in her eyes.

"Let's not push our luck." He laughed.

Though after today, Alan knew the two would become closer as friends.

* * *

 **Okay this chapter was fun to write. It felt like I was reading out of one of the original Jurassic Novels. Suspenseful dude. Hope you guys enjoyed!**


	4. Chapter 4

**How Life Finds a Way**

 **Chapter 4:**

 **Jurassic Park and Jurassic World franchise is owned by Amblin Entertainment, Legendary Pictures, and Universal Pictures.**

 **1\. I'm glad everyone is enjoying the story so far, and enjoyed the Giga making its entrance last chapter. Though, it is still young and isn't near the size of the Tyrannosaur or I-Rex yet, it's still a monster in size.**

 **2\. Yes, I've played JPOG and JP The Game, I have them both and enjoyed them thoroughly. I can't wait for Jurassic World: Evolution and Jurassic World Alive to come out as well, something for the next generation to enjoy. Also, I didn't enjoy Pokemon GO as much as everyone else, I think this will be more my style.**

 **3\. As for the second dinosaur? Carnotaurus was definitely one of the options I gave myself, but it won't be the Indominus since we're still a month away from the main events. So we'll just have to see ;)**

 **4\. Fun Fact about the writer. When I was a kid, Disney's Dinosaur was my favorite movie ever, but it always scared the shit out of me when the Carnotaurus pair entered the cave in that night scene.**

 **5\. RIP Michael Crichton dude, if he was still alive, it would be cool to see him write novels for the Jurassic World franchise.**

* * *

[Staff Hotel, Jurassic World 10:50 AM]

Alice gave a sigh, taking a sip of her coffee as she watched some children's show on the television. The previous day's events had completely thrown her into the loop, both mentally and physically.

Even though Masrani had given her the day off, she still tried to go back to work. Though she wasn't ready for any physical work yet, she would still go see how things were going. Being the main care taker for the Tyrannosaurus, she over saw the work done in the back room of the paddock.

[Paddock 9 maintenance, 11:33 A.M.]

"What's up Alice?" A man with red hair and an Irish accent called to her, a clipboard in both of his gloved hands. He began walking over.

"Oh, hey Sean." She nervously responded, giving an uneasy smile.

"How's everything going in here?" She asked, hoping to keep the topic of conversation anywhere other than yesterday's events.

Sean was Alice's assistant. He'd been at Jurassic World as long as Alice herself had been here. The Masrani Global had picked him out of thousands of applicants because he was a hard worker, and that he was poor. Simon Masrani had a big heart when it came to helping people in need of a job, so he threw all the other applications out the window and hired Sean.

He looked at his clipboard, scribbling over words and lines, and checking over a few things.

"Well other than tha fact that we're almost out of goats for the ol' girl, and us being three hands short today, not includin yerself. I'd say it's a regular day in the job." The Irishman responded, writing down something on a small sticky pad, and handing her a small sticky note.

She looked the paper, furrowing her brow at the list.

"Is this a list?" She asked, turning it around to show him.

"Aye! I figured since yer off today you could give that to Ms. Dearing." He ran a hand through his hair, letting out a sigh from working nonstop.

"This is true that Mr. Masrani gave me the day off, I told him that I would still come to work anyways." She nodded uncomfortably to him.

"I know, he came by yesterday and told me under no circumstance are we to let you work today." He gave her a wide grin.

Alice blinked once, then again, as if she didn't understand what the man said.

"Excuse me?" She asked in a confused manner.

"Yep, came by right after the accident yesterday." He nodded, looking back down at his clipboard.

She stiffened up at the mention of yesterday's events.

"You see lass? Ya got scared from me just referencin' to what happened yesterday." He pointed at her to emphasis what he'd said.

"Then stop talking about it!" She snapped at him, throwing her arms towards him.

Sean flinched at the uncharacteristic outburst, never having seen his partner so distressed, but he stood his ground.

"Alice, please. Take a few days off, we'll do just fine without you." He gently grabbed her shoulders and turned her around, pushing her towards the door.

"B-but what about this list?" She held up the paper, as she was being forced out of her own job.

"Don't worry about it lass, we'll take care of everything!" Sean insisted, finally getting Alice out the entrance.

With his job done, as per requested by Masrani, he finally let go of Alice.

"Listen, Alice. I understand that this job is yer' life, but after what happened to ya, you seriously need a break. Trust me, you'd be more of a hindrance the way you are."

"But, what am I supposed to do?" She asked in disbelief.

"I dunno." He shrugged his shoulders, while also backing up from her.

"Go spend some time with yer boyfriend er somethin'!"

She gained a confused expression. Boyfriend? Did he mean Alan?

"I don't have a boyfriend!" She yelled at him, her cheeks turning the same color as her hair.

"Sure ya do! I see ya hangin out with the fella in the hat all the time!" He grinned back at her.

He had a point. With all the time that she and Alan spend with each other, they should already have been in a relationship, or at least that's what one would think.

"You'll think of somethin lass, now off with ya!" He made a shooing gesture with his hand.

"Ugh!" Alice could only shake her head and huff at the man. One day she would get her revenge!

'Just you wait Masrani!' She thought to herself furiously, stomping away from the workplace.

* * *

[Jurassic World Plaza, 12:20 P.M.]

Once she found her way from the T-Rex enclosure, she ran by Starbucks to get a small coffee, before going back to her suite.

Now she sat in bed, leaning up against the head board, while watching TV and playing on her iPad. Sighing as she died again playing some mobile fighting game, she tossed her tablet to the side in frustration. Not working sucked. Now she nothing to occupy herself with until the day was done. No one to be around until Owen or Alan finished their shifts for the day.

'Wait a minute…Alan!' She thought to herself, instantly jumping out of her bed and throwing her shoes on, grabbing her car keys as she ran out the door.

Of course! Alan was given the day off as well, but unlike her he was well enough to go back to work. He'd texted her earlier that day and told her he would be going to the Gentle Giants Petting Zoo to check up on some of the infant dinosaurs.

This would be the perfect chance to spend some time with the man she was infatuated with. Hopping in her jeep, the redhead drove as fast as she could. Though she was careful not to hit anyone or anything in her path.

The first thing she was greet with when she got there was crowds of little kids playing with the baby dinosaurs, while their parents watched them. She couldn't see Alan anywhere, though she figured that he was somewhere in the backroom tending to some sick or disabled dinosaurs.

Heading towards the holding area behind the zoo to see if she could find him. Once she entered the facility, she could see veterinary nurses and handlers going back and forth. Some were carrying a baby Gallimimus or carting around a small Triceratops.

She walked over to a woman with blonde hair who was behind a desk typing something into a computer. Her name tag read 'Anne Brody'.

"Excuse me." She cleared her throat to get the woman's attention.

"Yes?" Anne looked up, giving Alice a smile.

"Could you point me to the room Dr. Grant is working in?" Alice asked while leaning on the other side of the desk.

"Of course!" She answered in a happy tone, typing away at the computer.

"He should be in room 115. Down the hall, and the tenth door to your right." Anne pointed to the hallway to Alice's left.

"Thank you!" She gave a courteous wave and continued her quest for Alan.

As she walked passed multiple rooms, she could see vets operating various dinosaurs and in others x-rays were taking place. When she got to the room she was told to go to, she found Alan working with a small Trike.

The man was taking blood samples and checking the animal's skin.

"I'm seeing multiple bruises around its legs, and the bones feel brittle. There are possible signs of stress to the legs." He said to the nurse beside him.

"I don't see how it could have stress on its legs, it's just as strong as the other animals. Plus, I don't even see any signs of fighting with the other animals." She answered back, slowly putting pressure on one of the Trike's hind legs.

"Maybe it wasn't the other animals, they're too docile to fight each other." Alan said, feeling the animal's skin.

"So what do think is the cause?" The nurse asked.

"Well I'm no expert in child care, but usually this happens in human children as a result of carrying too much weight or stress on their backs."

"You think that the children are the cause?"

"Well yeah, these animals are strong enough to care an individual children with little difficulty. It's a different story when more than one child gets on for a ride. Also, what if the children were to jump up and down on the animal's back, like on a horse. I see kids do it all the time here, and it always causes stress for the dinosaurs."

"That makes sense, considering how wild the children here are, getting to see dinosaurs for the first time in their lives." The nurse began writing something down on a clip board.

"The way I see it, you can enforce the rules a little better and put up a sign, or you can set up a specific age set for children that are just the right height and age. This will help with all the injuries that have been popping up lately." Alan began to pull of the rubber gloves and discard them in a trash can, and then grabbing his hat.

He turned to the nurse, not having seen Alice yet, and pointed a finger at her.

"Make sure this one, and all the other animals with similar problems are treated properly and healed fully before sending them back out there. Too much stress could end in death."

"Sure." She nodded at him, making for the doorway, which led to Alan finally noticing Alice.

The two stared at each other for a moment, before Alan made a small cough into his hands to break the silence, which made him uncomfortable. This seemed to make Alice snap out of her daze, before composing herself with a smile.

"Hey…" She trailed off, taking a step out of the room, signaling to the paleontologist that she wanted to talk outside the room so the baby Triceratops could rest.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" He asked, grabbing his paper work and making his way into the hallway where the two began to slowly make their way out of the building.

"Oh ya know, learning how to care for a baby dinosaur." She gave him a joking smile.

"I bet, but seriously. Masrani gave you the day off didn't he?" He asked in a confused tone.

"Yeah, but I couldn't sit around in my room all day. He's even banned me from work for the day." She shook her head, giving a long drawn out breath.

"Wait, you tried to go to work today?" He raised his eyebrow at her.

"Well, yeah. The one thing that Claire and I have in common is that we're workaholics. Other than working, the only thing I have to do here is hang out with you and Owen." She explained.

"Well how about this, when I get off work in thirty minutes, we can go see what Owen is up to. That sound good?" He asked, trying to come to a compromise between her and his work schedule.

"Yeah! But is it cool if I stick with you until you're done?"

"Sure, but just don't do anything to put yourself or the animals at risk."

"What do you mean?" The redhead asked.

"I'm sure what happened yesterday is still fresh in your mind, so that's why I don't want you getting too close to the animals." He said while turning back to the sedated animal.

Alice thought about what he'd said for a moment, before nodding her head to tell him she understood. She unconsciously made a small smile at the man's back. It was sweet that he cared for both her health, and the animal's health.

Out of anyone she'd met here at the resort, Alan was the most passionate about his job, even surpassing herself and Claire. He dedicated almost all of his time somewhere in the park, trying to learn everything he could about the once extinct animals, but he also wanted to teach other people about what he knew.

Aside from being a consulting paleontologist, giving help anywhere that he could to better the safety of the tourists and health of the dinosaurs, he was also a part time lecturer. In his few months of being on the island, Alan would appear from time to time in tour groups and even holding his own events in the Innovation Center, offering what information he could to other people to help better their knowledge from just what their childhood taught him.

"Hey Ali, can you hand me the gauze from that table?" He asked, pointing to a table on the opposite side of the room while simultaneously feeling around the Trike's leg for any abnormal bruising.

"Yeah sure." She nodded, going around the operating table.

She then handed him the wrapping.

"Thanks." He said curtly, taking the bandage and wrapping it around the animal's two front legs.

"So what's wrong with her?" She curiously asked, leaning closer, but keeping her distance.

"Her legs are unusually weak, like she is putting too much stress, or someone else is at least." He explained.

"So you think the children in the zoo are causing it?"

"More than likely, but I'm only eighty percent sure that's the problem." He made sure the wrapping was tight enough, but not too tight.

Once he was done, he looked at the Triceratops with a look that said he was somewhat satisfied with his work.

"I'll have to send out a report to Claire and the health department to make sure more safety rules are put in place. It's all fun and games until one of the animals are hurt, and they're harder to care for than humans." He gave her somewhat of a side smirk, showing that he was joking.

"Trust me, that old Tyrannosaur isn't easy to keep up, lemme tell you." She rolled her eyes at him.

"So what's next?" She inquired.

Giving a long sigh, Alan looked to the baby animal, then back to her with an exhausted expression.

"Clocking out."

* * *

[Tyrannosaurus Kingdom, 5:40 P.M.]

Once Alan had finished his shift, he and Alice went to the raptor paddock, hoping Owen wasn't too far behind him. Of course, as luck would have it, Owen was still running field tests with the animals after coming in late to work. So the two went back to the plaza to get some takeout from Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville.

Alice then suggested that they go to the T-Rex paddock and watch the giant carnivore roam around while the sun set.

Now the paleontologist stood in the giant glass hallway that overlooked the exhibit, leaning over the railing. Alice had gone to get the food, wanting to pay him back for the coffee they'd shared weeks ago. He watched as the giant therapod lumbered around its paddock, scouting its limited kingdom for any intruders. Of course, the glass was one-sided, so she wouldn't have been able to see him.

Masrani took heed of Alan's words, immediately having his workers replace the glass. It was one of the first things Alan had helped with when he first got to the island. He'd noticed the old girl getting agitated from the crowds and camera flashes. He made an immediate request for the glass to be changed before things got out of hand. A problem with the carnivores was something he'd always predicted.

He watched as a goat rose from the feeder, a red flare right beside it. It was the giant's last feeding for the day. This was also something Alan had helped with. After doing multiple tests with the giant, he'd come to the conclusion that Rexy's visual acuity was based on movement. This was something that he'd always argued with some of his colleagues. And with all the movement going on around it, it was only a matter of time before something happened. After making the discovery, Alan had suggested that the park started using flares, something bright or loud to gain the animal's focus.

"Alan!"

He turned his head to the right as Alice's voice shook him out of his thoughts.

"Hey." He greeted her, giving a half smile.

She had two brown paper bags in one hand, and two bottles of beer in the other. Handing one of each to Alan, the two sat down cross-legged, facing towards the inside of the paddock.

"I'll pay you back for this." He mumbled, taking out a hamburger from his bag, while simultaneously opening his beer bottle.

"No you're not. I'll make sure of that personally." She retorted, giving him the same giant smile she'd always worn.

It was almost as if the previous day's event never happened, but when he looked into her eyes, he could see little traces of fear. He could especially see it when she occasionally glanced at the T-Rex.

The two ate in silence, watching as the giant walked another round in her paddock.

"So, what do you think so far?" Alice asked, wanting to break the silence, not being one for quietness.

"Think of what?" He looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"The park, the island. How do you like it here?" She asked, wanting to find out more about him.

He thought about the question, and looked forward in the exhibit with a tired sigh.

"Honestly, I love it here. This beats digging up bones any day if it meant interacting with these animals."

"You're not homesick are you? It's almost been a year since you got here, and I've never once seen you take a trip back to the states."

He shrugged his shoulders, taking another bite of his burger.

"Not really. If anything, I'd rather be here than in the states."

"Really? So you don't have any family back home? Or a girlfriend?" She asked hopefully.

He shook his head.

"Both of my parents are deceased, and I haven't been in a relationship since my freshman year of college." He answered back, wondering why she would ask such a weird question.

She made a light gasp, before putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm… I'm sorry. I didn't know." She looked at him with sorrow, wishing she could make everything better for him.

"It's fine. Really. I think losing my parents and a relationship helped make me who I am today. You have to be tough to survive in the world today."

While Alice had a pitied expression, she jumped in joy in the back of her head at the revelation.

"Well I like who you are now." She said calmly, while she was inwardly freaking out at what she'd just said.

Alan didn't think anything of it, as he'd heard the same thing from Ellie a few years back.

"At least someone thinks so." He joked while grinning at her.

He then stopped to take in her appearance. She was attractive, really attractive at that. He even felt himself slowly drawn to her attitude, antics, and physically. But he eventually shook himself from these thoughts.

He couldn't think of relationships right now, as he had work to worry about. And he and Alice were just friends as well, as well as having a trust issue with women.

The dinosaur expert then felt a burning sensation on his cheek. He looked at her incredulously.

Had she just kissed him?

She smiled, leaving back to her original position.

"Thanks for spending time with me today. It really helps when you have someone to lean on for help." She smiled.

"No problem." He turned back to the paddock.

Alice continued to stare at him for a few minutes, before standing up.

"Do you think you could walk me back to my place?" She held an arm out to him.

He stared at her arm for a second before grabbing it.

"Sure."

And with that, the two began their trek back to the staff hotel.

* * *

[Somewhere North of the Island, Beyond the closed off area of the island]

A massive wrecked ship could be seen beached on a sand bar. It was in relatively good condition, except for the blood that was splattered across the side. Bodies of severed men laid across the beach, along with footprints that lead into the jungle.

Just beyond the tree line, the sound of bones breaking and flesh being ripped apart could be heard.

It then got quiet, before a low growl sounded off through the area. Out walked a carnivorous looking dinosaur. Its skin was green, with red crests just above its eyes. It had long, three clawed arms that it scratched its neck with. Blood dripped from its mouth, while body parts hung from its mouth.

It looked around the beach, just to see if any survivors tried to make a run for it. Satisfied with its handiwork, the monster gave a loud, rebellious roar before it returned back into the foliage.

* * *

 **Hey guys, sorry it's been a minutes. I've been caught up with classes lately, that and I've been playing God of War and Fortnite xD. Thank you for the support, and definitely let me know if you want more.**


	5. Chapter 5

**How Life Finds A Way**

 **Chapter 5:**

 **Jurassic Park and Jurassic World franchise is owned by Amblin Entertainment, Legendary Pictures, and Universal Pictures.**

 **1\. So I meant to post this before the new movie, but distractions kept coming up.**

 **2\. By the way, Fallen Kingdom was AMAZING! Everyone has their own opinion, but you can't change my mind. And if you can't except that Fallen Kingdom was actually good, then you're not a true fan. JP 3 was even good in my opinion, but still the lowest ranked on my list.**

 **3\. Also, I wanted to point out that Isla Sorna is still a thing, and are still up and running, after the events of The Lost World and JP 3. In this story at least.**

 **4\. Lastly, can anyone spot my Spielburg references I've been putting out?**

* * *

[Triceratops Territory, 9:45 A.M.]

A research team had been out all morning, responding to a park worker's message. Apparently something was spooking the animals.

The team had been in the area since 8:30, and still found no irregular activity anywhere.

A young woman with blonde hair had begun searching near the fence that cut off the Closed Area from the rest of the island.

"Why are we even out here?" She asked herself with a long sigh. Maybe the tourists were getting too close to the animals.

That had to be the reason.

Just then a low growling sound caught the woman's attention. Looking through the fence the thing that stood out to her was the shaking and rustling of trees near the line.

She gulped, recognizing the heavy footsteps and growling as that of a carnivore. Then the coldest of chills went down her back, as the feeling of being watched suddenly hit her.

Ever so slowly, she turned around to her team, and with worked up courage she called out to them.

"H-hey! I think… I think I found the problem!" She yelled, gaining everyone's attention.

"Someone… I need someone to call in Dr. Grant and ACU. Now!" She all but hissed at them, not daring to move any more than she had been.

Dr. Grant would know what this thing was, and he could helped Asset Containment catch it.

* * *

[Alan's Room, 10:15 A.M.]

The paleontologist had gotten up earlier than usual, due to a nightmare occurring that morning. The only thing he could think of was to call Alice and see if she would come have coffee with him, to keep him company.

Alan Grant didn't have many nightmares, and he wasn't scared of most things, but this dream shook him to his core.

Everything that happened in his nightmare had seemed so real, he was positive it was happening right now. Of course though, everything had been fine, and Alice was more than delighted to come and sit with him.

"What did you dream about?" The redhead asked, pouring some hot tea into a mug.

Now they sat at Alan's dinner table, across from each other as one person drunk coffee, and the other was drinking warm tea.

Alice had brought the tea over with her, claiming that it would help soothe him, and so far it had been working. It was sweet, but not too sweet, and it was comforting.

Alan didn't share much of his personal life with anyone else besides Ian and Ellie, but since he'd been working here on the island, he had learned to trust Owen and Alice. He had even come across an odd, slightly older mustached man with glasses named Lowery who shared his enthusiasm with dinosaurs.

"It… It wasn't very clear, but…" His face contorted slightly as he furrowed his brows, in a confused manner.

"We were here in the park, you, me, and Owen. Everything was actually fine…" He took a moment to sip on some off his tea and recount the dream he'd had.

"And then, some monster suddenly appeared. I didn't really recognize it from any fossil records, but it was huge. It had a gaping mouth full of teeth, and long clawed arms. It was probably around the size of the T-Rex, maybe bigger." He went into detail about the events of his nightmare.

He set his mug down and covered his mouth, rubbing the stubbles that had grown as a result of him not shaving the last few weeks.

"Then there were screams everywhere, people were getting eaten left and right, blood all over the place…" He had to contain himself a little in an effort to not think about throwing up, his eyes getting wider after recounting his dream.

"It was the most ungodly roar I'd ever heard in my life, like it wasn't even a real animal."

He then stopped himself, not remembering much more than that. What he'd described was certainly common among people who had nightmares, but it was enough to Alan Grant out of his sleep.

Now finding himself mulling over his nightmare and apparent stress from the last few days, Alan never noticed Alice reach her arm over the tabletop. Her smaller, but just as calloused hand brought him out of his thoughts when he felt her grab his much larger hand.

Staring at their hands, Alan couldn't help gain another confused look. Never before had such a gesture given him so much comfort.

Looking back to her, he found her giving him a small smile. Her eyes showed him that she was listening to every word he'd said, and that she was here for him.

"It's okay to be scared Alan, it's a natural human emotion." She told him, not once breaking eye contact with him.

She also wanted him to know that she would always be there for him, in more ways than one in her hopeful future.

It was at this moment that Alan could feel something within his heart change. He'd always thought that Alice was physically attractive, but nothing more than that, aside from the occasional moments they had with each other. He wasn't oblivious to her feelings either, as someone else might think because of his one track mind and attitude.

He just never thought about having relationships or being attracted to other people when he put his dedication to his work first and foremost. Now though, while he was in a state of winding down and calmness, he was able to take her in. They had a lot of things in common, and a lot of things that they disagreed on, but he now could admit that even he was surprised they weren't a thing. At least to himself anyways.

As much as he wanted to relax and at least try to build some form of relationship, he had too much work to do at the moment, and things were already hectic as they were. He didn't need more problems to worry about.

"Thanks, Alice." He expressed his gratitude through an awkward smile, but it was a true smile at that.

"No problem, anytime." She slowly, but hesitantly retracted her hand back to her side of the table.

"How've you been?" She asked secondly through worry.

Alan looked more tired than she'd ever seen him since they first started working together.

He seemed to slowly register the question, giving small nods.

"I'm uh… I'm good." He lied, giving another awkward smile, though it was forced this time.

"I heard everything on your end has been hectic lately. How has everything been going?" She saw straight through his fib.

Not one for lying and being straight to the point, aside from the little lie he'd just told her, he gave it to her straight.

"Well, apparently the ship that was supposed to be carrying the second dinosaur never arrived to the island or checked in with the control center. It's been at least three or four days since we've heard from them. The lab over on Isla Sorna confirmed that they'd left around that time, so it's all really strange." He admitted to her with a sigh.

"And on top of that, Dr. Wu and Masrani want me on board for a special 'Asset Project' that they've been working on for a while now, and I have yet to give them my answer yet. Everything is just moving so fast right now, I don't know if I can deal with all of this." He ran his hand through his hair, staring at the tabletop.

"Hey don't sell yourself short. You're Alan Grant. You've done more than most of the higher ups have done here in a year than most have done since the park opened." Alice grinned at him.

"Yeah well sometimes it just feels like I've been here longer than that. Everyone expects me to do better than what I can actually do." He gave another sigh, leaning back in his chair.

"Sometimes, it's a little too tiring."

"Alan, when was the last time you ever actually took a day off? You know, a day to yourself?" She asked, suddenly feeling pity for him.

He was the dinosaur man, as most people in the resort had come to calling him. He represented the absolute best Jurassic World had to offer. He was also the hardest working member of the team, never taking days off and spending any time he did have off, doing other work in different parts of the park.

Her question caused the man chuckle to himself, taking another sip of his tea.

"Would you believe me if I said the last day I took off was before college?"

She furrowed her brows, her mouth slightly open in what Alan could only assume as shock.

"How long ago was that?" She inquired, never taking her eyes off him.

"Four or five years ago, I think." He gave a small smirk.

The paleontologist suddenly felt the sense of pride swell within him. He'd gone from college, to field work, to working in the best place on Earth.

"Jesus Alan! No wonder you're always so tense and serious!" Alice laughed, covering her mouth to try and keep herself from going crazy.

"What can I say? I like to work more than anything else." He gave a small chuckle, going to sip his tea again, until his phone started going off.

Both adults sat there, their playful attitudes gone as they stared at the cellular device.

It was Claire Dearing.

She never contacted Alan directly, unless it was an emergency. She usually had someone deliver a message to him, or sent him an email that he wouldn't see until a week later. This had to have been serious if she was directly calling him.

He looked up to Alice, slightly confused at the sudden call, then back to his phone.

Slowly picking it up, taking a moment to remember how to answer, he clicked on the green icon with his thumb.

"Hello?" He greeted a little quieter than it should've been.

" _Dr. Grant, I know you don't start you shift until later this afternoon, but we need you to report to the Triceratops Territory ASAP_."

"Why? What's wrong?" He asked, even more confused than he was before.

" _A research team went out earlier this morning to investigate some of the animals getting uneasy when they reported something beyond the fence to the Restricted Area_."

Alan gave a long, drawn out sigh. This just wasn't his week.

"Alright, tell everyone I'm on my way now. Also, get ACU out there, we may need them." He told her, already getting up and going to put his boots on.

" _They're already there waiting for you. I will also be there shortly after a meeting to make sure everything goes well."_

Of course she was going to be there.

"Alright fine, just tell'em I'm coming." He quickly hung up and grabbed his belt from his bed.

Alice, after cleaning both mugs in the sink, came over to him.

"What was that about?" She asked, an alerted expression on her face.

"I have to go. Apparently someone reported a disturbance in the Restricted Area."

"But… No one is supposed to be out there, no one should be able to get past the fence." She crossed her arms with worry.

"Well, that's what I'm going to find out." He grabbed his hat off the rack by his door, before turning to her.

"Thanks for the company." He smiled, opening the door.

"Wait!" She called for him, putting her hand on his arm.

"What's wrong?" He asked for the second time in the last few minutes.

"Let me come with you!" She asked frantically.

In truth, she was scared of something happening to him, after the last crisis they were in she didn't want that happening again.

"Alice, I'll be fine. Plus I don't want you having another break down. It'll put everyone in danger."

She inhaled a breath. Gathering every ounce of courage she could.

"I'll be fine." She stared him straight in the eyes with a serious expression.

Giving a sigh he lightly nodded his head, holding the door open for her, which she took gratefully.

"God I better not regret this." He whispered to himself as he closed the door behind him.

* * *

[Triceratops Territory 11:18 A.M.]

As the pair arrive at the field, both quickly got out of the Jeep, slamming the doors shut.

They were then intercepted by the blonde from earlier.

"Dr. Grant!" She called to him, running up to his side with a tablet held out for him.

"What's it looking like Ms. Ferrier?" He asked taking the tablet from her.

"It's Rachel, and I think we found our missing dinosaur." She said frantically, zooming in on the live feed on the tablet.

"Is this… the ship?" He asked, dumbfounded.

"Yes sir, they found it beached on a sand bar on the Northwest side of the island." She explained as they walked to the little base of operations the ACU had set up.

"What about the crew? Are they alright?"

Rachel stopped and stared at him, unsure if she wanted to tell him, but she decided on telling him anyways.

"No sir… when our team got there and investigated the area, there was blood and bodies everywhere. It seems like whatever caused the crash, also ate the crew…" She stopped herself from saying any more than what she needed, almost feeling sick at the memory of bodies torn apart.

"Christ…" Alan trailed off, now seeing more of the ship from a different angle, able to see the corpses all over the sand bar.

"Well do we have a visual on the animal?" Alice spoke up, wanting this to be over.

"Well… not at the moment. The animal is blending in well with the jungle, so we deemed it too dangerous to send ACU in with how dense it is in there." The blonde explained.

"Do we at least know the general vicinity it's in?" Alan gave her back the tablet.

"Yes, we have two copters closing off a circled area. Wherever it is, it's staying close to the fence, but far enough to evade our cameras."

Nodding, Alan looked over the fence before walking over to it.

"Dr. Grant?" Rachel called his name, following after him along with Alice.

He didn't give a response, as he seemed to be inspecting the electrical wire.

"Alan? What is it?" Alice asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Still no response.

"Is there any way we can drive it back to the beach?" He turned back to the women.

"Um, what?" Rachel asked, her face scrunching up.

"Well can we or not? The specific dinosaur we're dealing with here is too dangerous to confront in the forest. It would make it easier if we can catch it out in the open."

"Um, hold on! Maybe I can work something out with ACU. Captain Hamada is just over there, I'll go talk to him."

With that, the blonde left to go talk to the captain, leaving Alan and Alice alone with each other.

"Alan, what is this thing?" Alice found herself staring at the fence as well.

"Allosaurus Fragilis." He told her.

This gained him a surprised expression.

"Five meters tall and twelve meters long. Though not as big as Tyrannosaurus or Giganotosaurus, it was the largest predator of the Jurassic Era. It was equipped to take down giants like Diplodocus and Brachiosaurus in pairs. Fossils and locations suggest they did most of their hunting in heavily forested areas." He explained, remembering the little packet Claire had given him with all the asset details.

"So, this thing is in its prime habitat?" Alice asked, slowly feeling fear start to make itself known.

She wanted to run away, get off the island as soon as she could and never come back. She knew though, that wasn't what she really wanted. Of course she loved it at Jurassic World, but it was the fact that an animal nothing short of a monster that could easily tear her to pieces, was running free. The fact that it was also only a few feet away, just beyond the jungle didn't make it that much better.

"Yes, and the green coloration of its skin doesn't help us at all either. It blends in perfectly." He squinted his eyes, trying to see better through the thick foliage.

"What do you have in mind to catch it with?"

"Well, I'm hoping that it goes back to the kill site." He said, giving a sigh.

"Wait, why? What makes you think it'll go back?" She asked curiously.

"Because a predator always goes back to the same hunting spot, and that's where the other Allosaur is."

"Other Allosaur? There are two?" She felt like she was going to get even sicker.

"Yeah, InGen made a pair. One male and one female." Alan began making his way over to the HQ tent.

"And assuming they've been together for a while now, the male won't leave the female alone for long, especially with all of these people here."

"And where is the other one?"

"Back in the cargo hold of the ship. The team says it was injured when they found it, so it's likely that the animal hurt itself when the ship hit the beach." He explained as they found their way to Captain Hamada and Rachel.

"Dr. Grant." Hamada gave him a nod.

"What's the current status of the female?" The paleontologist asked.

"We currently have her sedated, but we still don't have the exact location of the male." He showed Alan a tablet with the estimated vicinity of the animal.

"What? What about the tracking beacon inside it?" Alan gave a puzzled expression.

"The assets don't acquire their trackers until they make it here to the park."

"So you're saying you never got the chance?"

"Affirmative."

"Wait, I thought the animals were supposed to receive their implants at birth."

"They normally do, but the male wouldn't let the researchers near the female while it was sedated." Rachel cut in.

"That's just great. Alice, I would have a word with your sister and Dr. Wu if I were you." He suggested off-handedly.

Alan looked down at the monitor of the crash site, sighing as he rubbed his chin in thought.

"What would you have us do?" Hamada asked again, knowing that they had limited time.

"Well, since we don't outright know where it is, getting the female to start making noise would draw it back. Any kind of noise." He looked at the captain.

"I don't think that will be possible right now, the asset is heavily sedated. She won't wake up for another hour or so."

"Damn it…" Alan whispered to himself, until another light bulb went off in his head.

"Hey, what about sound equipment? Do we have any pre-recordings we could use, or current recordings of the animals?" He asked the ACU captain.

"Why would we need sound equipment?" Rachel asked, a confused expression covering her face.

Alan turned to her, his brows furrowed.

"Well I was going to suggest sending out a distress call, and when the male hears it, he will run back to the female. Once he hits the beach, we can catch him." He explained his plan.

"Uh, oh right! There should be recorded calls from every dinosaur in Jurassic World, or will be there." They all turned to Alice.

"True, how fast can you get someone out there Captain?" Rachel asked.

"Give me five minutes, and you will have your animal call." He stepped out of the tent, grabbing a walkie talkie on his way out, presumably to give an order to the control center.

Soon a helicopter had made its way down to the three, inside Claire Dearing was waiting with some files in her hands and a headset.

"Oh boy." Alan gave a sarcastic smile, hopping into the chopper, followed by Alice and Rachel.

* * *

[Crash Site, soon after]

"Dr. Grant, I hope you know what you're doing." Claire sternly said, watching as the ACU teams set up sound equipment around the perimeter.

"So do I." He gave a sigh, looking back towards the tree line.

Hamada walked over to them, a tablet in his hands that looked like a control panel.

"I trust you know how to use this?" He held the device out to the paleontologist.

Before Alan could even answer or grab it, Alice came in between them and took the tablet.

"I do, just say when." She gave a small, but fear covered smile to him.

The Captain nodded, before jogging back to his position on the ship, arming himself with a tranquilizer rifle.

Alan put a hand on her shoulder, giving it a small squeeze to reassure her everything would be fine. He would make sure of it, and he trusted Captain Hamada to do his job right.

"Do it." He looked from her to the forest.

Give a slight nod, Alice tapped the sound button on the screen.

Within seconds, a long drawn out roar came from the multiple speakers set up around the premises. It was weak and strained, as Alan had expected. After another minute or two passed by, the roaring stopped.

It then got silent, only the sound of the waves hitting the sandbar could be heard. Everyone looked around at each other in anticipation, and confusion.

Was the noise not loud enough?

"Alice…" He half whispered to the redhead, wrapping one arm around her shoulder, and taking the tablet from her. He then backed her behind him, getting ready to make the sound again.

She struggle against his efforts, allowing herself to be put right behind him. Slowly and lightly, she grabbed onto the back of Alan's shirt, gripping it as if he were a shield in front of her. She then felt Claire also hug her close to herself. She wasn't about to let her little sister be in danger again without a fight.

Alice looked back to the older Dearing, but Claire had her eyes set to the tree line, a firm glare taking its place. It was as if she knew it would be okay, or she dared this thing to come attack them.

"I'm going to do a second call!" Alan called over to Hamada, who then nodded back to him.

Before he could even press the button, a loud roar sounded out. It was aggressive, and it sounded closer than everyone originally thought it would be.

Alice nearly jumped back into the water out of fear, the only thing keeping her in place was her sister, and her hands clutching onto Alan's shirt.

"Stay back!" He hissed, throwing both of his arms back in a protective stance for the women.

Suddenly the sound of trees rustling and slight tremors in the ground alerted them to the carnivore's presence.

The Allosaurus let out a loud roar as it finally broke through the trees in a full sprint onto the sandbar. It charged for the first thing it saw, which happened to be the three park workers.

Alice let out a scream of terror, before digging her face deep into Alan's back, too afraid to make a run for it.

Before the animal could even make it halfway to them, Hamada's voice sounded out. Then simultaneously dozens of shock charges and tranquilizer darts were fired in rapid succession.

The downpour of ammunition seemed too much for the predator, as it seemed evident that it was struggling at that point to stay conscious, much less continue its charge.

The animal only managed to make it a few feet away from the onlookers, before it collapsed from exhaustion and tiredness.

At this point, tears were streaming down Alice's face as she had fully wrapped her arms around Alan's body, holding him tightly.

"Shh…" He put one arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, letting her cry on his shoulder.

He spared one last glance at the carnivore, before resting his chin on Alice's head. He'd then made eye contact with Claire, the older redhead giving a sympathetic look to him.

He sighed to himself, closing his eyes. He'd decided both he and Alice needed a long break.

* * *

[Owen's Bungalow, 5:45 P.M.]

"Wow, that's quite the story." Owen said in surprise, taking a swig of beer.

Later after taking a break and showering, both Alan and Alice had decided to go hang out with Owen for the remainder of the day. The raptor handler was more than happy to have them over as well.

The three of them opted to sit in lawn chair and sit near the cliffs to watch the sun set.

"Yeah well, it seems like this is starting to become the normal around here." Alan glanced to his right, watching as Alice gave a tired expression at the horizon, not even having touched her beer.

"Hey, you alright?" Owen asked, noticing the normally cheerful woman's lack of a smile.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I guess I'm just tired is all." She said, drinking a little bit of the alcohol.

The two men then shared a concerned look with each other, before Alan nodded, getting up from his chair.

"Alright then, I guess we're heading back." He said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

It took her a moment, but she nodded slightly, before getting up. They'd said their goodbyes to Owen, and hopped in Alan's jeep, heading back to the park.

Halfway there, Alan decided to break the ice.

"I'm sorry about today."

Alice suddenly looked up from her lap, and turned to him, a confused expression on her face.

"What do you mean? You didn't do anything wrong."

"I shouldn't have taken you with me today, it would've saved you the panic." He gave a slight smile to her.

She reached over and gently grabbed his hand into hers, shaking her head.

"I wanted to be with you, to make sure you were okay." She offered her own smile.

At the contact of skin Alan felt the sudden urge to retract his hand, but didn't in case he upset her. These kinds of emotions had always been alien to him, so he never acted on them.

"You don't have to worry about me, I'm the dinosaur man. Remember?" He joked, giving an awkward smile.

This elicited a small giggle from her as they had finally entered the park. Jurassic World was constantly working in motion, so even the night life in the plaza was bustling with business.

"God help anyone or any dinosaur that messes with Alan Grant. He'll bore you to death with dinosaur facts!" She joked, laughing more when he lightly shoved her shoulder.

"Can't believe you just went there." He shook his head, giving a small chuckle.

By then they'd already parked at the staff suite.

"Someone had to." She laughed some more, hurrying out of the vehicle when she saw Alan quickly jump out and run around the vehicle.

"No! No!" She ran up the stairs to the building, squealing in laughter when he finally caught her.

"I'm not letting go!" He grinned, struggling to keep her from flailing out of his arms.

He suddenly froze, making her give a confused expression.

"Wait, do you hear that?" He asked, pointing a finger up.

"What is it?"

"It's the T-Rex!" He hurriedly picked her up, and ran into the building, running through the lobby and to the elevator.

"We have to hurry and hide!" She laughed while playing along, taking his hand and pulling him into the elevator.

Alan rapidly pressed the button, making the door close faster.

"You think it'll find us?"

He looked back to her.

"Maybe, but we'll be safe if we can make it to my floor!"

As the elevator dinged, the two dashed out of the elevator as fast as they could, running away from the imaginary dinosaur behind them. Once at his door, Alan fumbled for his keys.

"It's gonna catch us!" Alice rapidly tapped his shoulder.

"Not on my watch!" With a small grunt, Alan finally got the door open and pulled Alice in with him.

After a minute passed by, Alan cracked the door open, peaking out through the hallway. Slowly stepping out, he waved to Alice.

"It's gone now."

He turned back to her, only to feel her lips on his cheek.

Staring at her, he was momentarily stunned by her bold action.

"Thanks, Alan. I feel a lot safer now." She took advantage of his still form and gave him a hug, which seemingly lasted for hours.

Slowly stepping back, she gave him a bright smile.

"Now I know I don't have to be scared anymore, not with you there. I know you'll save me."

She took some more steps back.

"Goodnight."

It took a minute to register in his mind she was bidding him goodbye. He then nodded, giving a small wave and an awkward smile.

"Night, Alice."

"See you tomorrow?" She asked hopefully.

"Sure."

With that, the two went their separate ways to their rooms, knowing that they'd gotten much closer after the day.

* * *

 **Hey guys sorry for the wait, but it's finally here! Also, sorry about the look of the Allosaur. I grew up watching BBC's version in Walking With Dinosaurs, and I thought it looked cooler than the JW version. Hope you enjoyed!**


	6. Chapter 6

**How Life Finds a Way**

 **Chapter 6: The Beginning of the End  
**

 **The Jurassic Films are all owned by Universal Studios, Amblin, and Legendary Pictures.**

* * *

[Jurassic World Geneticist Lab, 2:12 A.M.]

Alan gave a short yawn before he drunk some coffee he'd made before leaving his apartment room. He was normally a morning person, but waking up at 1:45 in the morning was a line he never crossed.

He was woken up by a call from Simon Masrani, asking if he could take some time out of his sleep to meet him at the genetics lab. Of course, he knew Masrani was only asking and not ordering. He could've easily said no, but he figured that whatever it was that would make his boss wake him up in the middle of the night, it must've been important.

Just as he'd entered the lab part of the Innovation Center, he could see Claire standing firmly at the end of the hallway. Now this got his attention, and it sketched him out as well.

'What is this? Workaholics anonymous?' He thought to himself as he reached her.

"Dr. Grant." She nodded to him.

He only nodded back to her as he passed the redhead up, not surprised when she fell into step with him. The two still didn't like each other that much, but they'd learned to respect one another after the events that took place weeks earlier with the Giganotasaurus and the Allosaurs.

Besides being the two hardest workers in the park, they found that they both had a common interest, and that would be the safety of Claire's sister.

Since the accident with the Allosaurus, which resulted in almost twenty casualties that had to be covered up by InGen, the two hadn't butted heads anymore.

"So I take it you were invited to this top secret meeting as well?" He asked as they reached a door with a secure number combination lock and fingerprint scanner.

"Of course, I am the park operations manager after all." She answered as-a-matter-of-factly.

Claire then typed in the number password and stuck her thumb on the scanner. After a series of beeps the door opened on its own.

As the two walked into the room, Alan almost dropped his coffee at the sight of the room.

Egg incubators and tanks with animals took up a majority of the lab.

"Ah! Dr. Grant. Ms. Dearing! I'm glad you could join us!" Simon grinned as he walked over to them.

"Good morning Mr. Masrani." Claire greeted with a small nod.

Alan could tell that she was accustomed to waking up at times before the birds were even chirping.

When the formalities were over, Masrani gestured to an older Asian male with a lab coat on.

"Dr. Grant, this is our lead geneticist. Dr. Henry Wu. Henry, this is our new lead paleontologist." The millionaire stepped back, allowing the two men to shake hands.

"Ah yes, the dinosaur man, as many of the tourists and workers refer to you as. It's a pleasure to meet our residential dinosaur expert." Wu gave a smirk that held a certain smugness to it.

"The pleasure is mine." Alan lied through a fake smile.

He hadn't even known the man for five seconds and he already knew that he wasn't going to be Wu's biggest fan.

With the introductions concluded, Alan looked from Wu to a nearby computer monitor. It was a rotating 3-D model of what he assumed to be a dinosaur, though he'd never seen anything like it in any fossil record he'd ever looked at.

"What is that?" He pointed to the screen with his coffee hand.

This shifted everyone's attention.

"That, my dear Dr. Grant, would be our topic of discussion." Simon stepped forward, motioning everyone to a table in the corner of the room.

Taking their seats, Henry pulled up a holographic model of what was shown on the computer.

"I present to you, Jurassic World's first genetically modified hybrid." Henry said proudly.

"Wait, so you just… What do you mean 'genetically modified hybrid'?" Alan asked, not sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing.

"What I mean is, we took the DNA of multiple dinosaurs, and spliced them together." Wu explained, almost as if he were talking to a child.

"Multiple dinosaurs?" The paleontologist repeated, not sure he wanted to grasp the concept of mixing the genes of multiple dinosaurs together.

"Our investors have expressed a want of something bigger, scarier, more teeth." Claire joined in, though he could tell that she too was surprised at the image of the apparent hybrid.

"And why not give them what they want? We decided to take genetic engineering to the next level, and create our own dinosaur." Henry said with more pride than before.

"Well, what is this thing made of?" Alan asked, almost instantly regretting his question.

This made Henry and Simon momentarily glance at each other, before looking back at Alan and Claire.

The researcher then took out two forms and slid them over to the two park workers.

"What's this?" Claire asked, reading every word of the paper.

"It's a non-disclosure agreement. What goes on in here must never leave this lab." Wu answered.

"This project is top secret, and I'd like to keep it that way until the animal is ready for the park. No one outside of us four and the researchers that work in here know about this." Masrani explained seriously.

If Alan wasn't suspicious before he entered the room, he was definitely suspicious now.

He glanced to his right to see Claire signing her name at the bottom, no doubt having already read the whole agreement, but wanting the best interest of the park in mind. He sighed to himself as he thought about it.

On one side, all he could see were red flags. On the other, his curiosity in paleontology was getting the better of him.

If Ian were here, he would've told Alan that these people were cheating nature, and that it would end up with chaos of the worst kind. If Ellie was here, she would've told him to go with his gut. Then Alice and Owen popped into his head. Alice had been through enough as it was, even going as far as to take the last few weeks off to spend some time with some family.

Letting out a sigh, he gave one final look to the rotating model.

"Damnit…" He muttered under his breath, before taking the pen and signing his name at the bottom of the agreement.

Once everything was said and done, the two gave their forms to Simon and refocused their attention on Dr. Wu.

"So now that we've promised not to talk about this to anyone, can you tell us what this animal is made of?" Alan grew anxious.

Henry cleared his throat, apparently waiting on his chance to explain his greatest creation.

"Well tree frog DNA was added to fill in the code sequence, and to help the animal adapt to a tropical climate, as is done with every other dinosaur on the island."

"Of course, we all knew this." Claire spoke up, nodding unsurprisingly.

"Cuttlefish genes were added to increase the growth rate of the animal, and pit viper genes were added as well to help regulate its body temperature."

"And as far as dinosaurs go?" Alan asked.

"The base genome is that of a T-Rex, to help with its size. It was also given genes from Giganotasaurus, Rugops, Majungasaurus, and Carnotaurus to enhance its body features. The last gene is classified." Henry finished.

"Well, I can definitely see it increasing our wow factor. It's unlike any dinosaur that exists to my knowledge." Claire said, definitely impressed with the animal.

'Her knowledge? I didn't know she went to dinosaur school.' Alan rolled his eyes at the redhead.

"Dr. Grant, what is your opinion on all of this?" Simon asked, rubbing his chin in curiosity.

As all eyes shifted to him, Alan could only think of a response that sounded reasonable.

"Mr. Masrani, with all due respect, the creation of a completely new animal is slightly stepping over the boundaries of nature. What we have here is a literal Frankenstein of a monster. You've taken the most dangerous predators that ever lived, and packed them into a single test tube that is just waiting to explode with fury." He gave his honest answer.

"Dr. Grant, what we're doing is no different than what we've done in the past. I'm sure you're well aware that the dinosaurs of Jurassic World aren't as accurate as they should be, compared to their fossil records, but we've always filled in their gene sequences of other animals to affect their appearances." Henry argued, apparently not happy with Alan disagreeing with his accomplishment.

"I know, and if they were more accurate the tourists probably wouldn't like them as much, I get it. And I'll say that what we've been doing is great, it's a good chance to teach everyone about these creatures and teach some humility. I'm just saying that, if we're to make this thing, we need to be extremely careful is all. You've seen how aggressive the Giganotasaurus can be first hand, and the accident back in 1993 wouldn't have happened, had the power not gone out and the Tyrannosaurus breaking free from its paddock." Alan countered.

"So what are you proposing we do then?" Simon asked, intrigued by the dinosaur expert's opinion.

"What I think we should do, is show a little respect for the power that has been gifted to us through these animals. Before we even think about the next few steps, we need to take a step back and think about what we can do to make sure that this isn't a disaster waiting to happen." He finished.

This prompted Masrani and Wu to look at each other again, this time with uneasiness.

"What? What is it?" Alan asked, not sure what they were thinking.

"Well…" Simon started.

"We've already created two eggs." Henry finished.

Alan glanced down, shaking his head. These people were crazy.

"Well, when are they expected to hatch?" He asked.

"In a week's time, two at the most. They've already started showing signs of hatching two days ago." Henry stated.

"And you want me to just study it?" He asked hopefully.

"No. We want you to oversee the animal's well-being and its entirety." Simon said.

"Well-being? Isn't that his job?" He gestured to Dr. Wu.

"No, my task was only to create it. If anyone knows anything about what this creature's behavior will be, it's you." Wu argued.

"So what, you want me to be their parent or something?" Alan asked disbelievingly.

"The thought isn't farfetched, Mr. Grady as formed a bond with four velociraptors. They imprinted on him at birth." Claire said offhandedly.

Alan could only sigh in thought. As much as he didn't want to do this, he'd already signed an agreement to secrecy, and they presented a valid point.

"What are we gonna call this new dinosaur?" He asked.

"The Indominus Rex." Dr. Wu said, his smug grin returning to his face.

* * *

[Jurassic World Docks, 1:23 P.M.]

Owen and Alan stood among a crowd of people who were stepping off from the ferry that brought them to and from the island. It had been almost four weeks since the accidents with Jurassic World's newest carnivores, all of which were now displayed to the public.

He watched as people crowded out of the ship, while Owen held a poorly drawn cardboard sign in his hands that read 'ALicE', on it. After what happened with the Allosaurs, the redhead had decided to take a much needed vacation to her oldest sister's house to spend time with her and her two nephews.

Alan was wearing sunglasses to block the sun out of his eyes, but also to conceal how tired his eyes were.

Ever since the meeting in the middle of the night, he never went back to sleep. The weight of what Masrani and Wu were putting on his shoulders plaguing his mind all morning. It made him question his job here at the park as well as keeping his friends here safe from whatever would become of this new project.

Alan quickly put that thought in the back of his head. Now was supposed to be a happy moment as the two men waited on their friend to walk off the boat. Though he was the one looking for her, it seemed that she was also looking for them.

"So, you gonna ask her out when you see her?" Owen asked, not taking his eyes off the ferry.

"Owen…" The paleontologist gave a hard sigh. Not this again.

"Hey! It's a fair question, we both know you missed her." The corners of Owen's mouth raised slightly.

"What in the Hell are you talking about?" Alan looked down, then to his friend, second guessing himself.

"Don't act like you don't know!" The raptor trainer raised his pointer finger.

"You've missed Alice Dearing ever since she left the island."

"Well yeah, we're friends. What's wrong with that?" Alan retorted in a somewhat nervous manner, nervous for him anyways.

"Lies! I see the way you smile when you read her emails and text messages." Owen was full out grinning now.

"Emails? Text messages?" The dinosaur expert stared at Owen with a gaping mouth.

"I'll tell you what's wrong with that. Your DENIAL." Owen said as he drew out the last word loudly.

"Really? That's really mature, guess your raptors are starting to rub off on you. That, or you're drunk right now." Alan retorted, looking back at the boat.

"Hey, I don't have to be drunk to see what's going on between you two." Owen shot back.

"Yeah? Well it doesn't take a goat in a T-Rex paddock to see that you and Claire still have a thing for each other." Alan smartly said.

"Ow, that cuts deep. Give it some time and maybe you'll get past this denial stage you're in."

Alan never got the chance to continue the banter with his friend.

"Alan! Owen!" Both men perked up, turning their attention towards the sound of the voice.

A slender hand outstretched itself from the crowd, followed by a long, silky streak of red. Not giving them time to call back to her, she quickly ran up to them and crushed them within a wide hug.

Owen flinched at the force in which she collided with them at.

"Geez, have you started taking steroids?" He laughed returning her hug with one arm.

"Yep! The happy steroids!" Her grin getting even wider, if that was possible.

Alan didn't have to give any comments, just seeing her back to her old self was good enough for him. He knew her time off was something she really needed, though that didn't change the fact that he missed her. Sure they kept in touch when she went back to the mainland.

"It feels like I haven't seen you guys in forever, much been on the island!" She pulled back from them.

"Well given your circumstances, that's understandable." Owen smirked as he patted her on the shoulder.

"Well, what're we waiting for? Let's go see the T-Rex!" She exclaimed, taking both of their hands and dragging them with her.

"Alice, don't you think it's a little too soon?" Alan asked.

"Nah, I'll be okay!" She laughed in retort.

"Yeah, what about your stuff?" Owen asked as well, also worried that she wasn't ready for this.

"Oh it'll be fine! Claire is having someone transport my stuff to my new room!"

"Wait, new room?" Alan asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

"Yeah! I'll be on your floor Alan!" She looked back to grin at him.

Her living on his floor? The dinosaur expert quickly figured that she either pleaded with her sister hard enough, or Claire had changed her living arrangements because he and Alice had gotten really close. The former seemed like the most likely.

Whatever Alice did between her departure four weeks ago and now, seemed to have given her back her old personality.

As the trio approached the entrance to the T-Rex Kingdom, Alan could only take in the surroundings with awe. Out of all the dinosaurs in the park, the Rex paddock was probably the one he least visited. Between working with Owen's raptors, helping out with other parts of the park, and now working in the research lab, he'd never found time to come.

There were kids running around the group, dragging their parents with them down the giant glass tube that served as a viewing platform. Alan then felt the structure begin to shake, as if many tiny earthquakes were happening. Once Alice had drug the two men to the front of the viewing platform, away from most of the guests, all three froze when they saw the titanic carnivore roaming about.

Alice stared with something akin to the children that ran around them, as if she would never get tired of seeing it. Owen gave off a more analyzing face, more tense than anything, as if he assumed something bad was about to happen.

Alan on the other hand, felt intense fear as he watched the lumbering giant walk by them. The fear was then overcome by shear awe and respect. Here is a creature that was undoubtedly the most popular and most debated dinosaur ever. It was also one of the biggest carnivores to ever live, and one of the reasons Jurassic Park failed so many years ago, and why so many people lost their lives in San Diego. Those disasters happened because people didn't care for or respect these animals, and that power got out when everyone had their guard down.

"How're you doing baby girl?" He heard Alice say, leaning on hand on the glass.

It was just like seeing her for the first time again when he first started working at the park. She was the most infatuated with 'Rexy', as she dubbed the Tyrant along with every other kid at the park, because she was the first dinosaur Alice worked with when she came to the park.

"You know she can't see you right? The glass is one sided." Owen chimed in, leaning forward to bug her.

She looked down, letting out an annoyed sigh, before lightly pushing his face away.

"Thanks, moment ruiner." She turned to him with a pout, before giving way to another smile.

"Ruiner? I don't think that's an actual word, Alice." Owen chuckled.

"It's a word when I say it!" She jokingly shook her fist at him.

Alan could only smirk and shake his head. It was like looking at siblings argue with each other. It was innocent moments like these he cherished, since most every moment of his life was serious and under pressure to do better. It was great to sit back and relax every now and again, as he'd come to learn when he began working at Jurassic World.

He was then shaken from his thoughts when the Tyrannosaur gave a loud, mighty roar that shook the entire platform. This reminded him of why the Tyrannosaurus Rex was 'King of the Dinosaurs', because it was dominant and undefeatable.

"C'mon you two, there are more dinosaurs to see." He chuckled, walking towards the exit to the viewing station.

* * *

[Jurassic World Staff Hotel, 10:43 P.M.]

Once Alice had drug Alan and Owen to every attraction in the park, they went to eat dinner at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville, then called it a night. Once they called it a night, Alan had to take Owen back to his bungalow after his motorcycle wouldn't start, he and Alice found themselves walking up the steps to the building.

"Thank you for the wonderful day Alan." Alice said with a small smile, though he could tell that it contained just as much happiness as her bigger smiles.

"Of course, though it's tough when I have to keep you and Owen out of trouble." He joked, giving a slight chuckle.

"Okay, Owen was the one who tried to ride one of the baby Trikes." She retorted.

"Yeah. After you dared him to do it!" He was almost laughing now.

"Because it would've been funny!"

He took a moment to think about it.

"Well, you're not wrong."

"See?"

"But to be fair, you did cause an Apatosaurus to flip a young couple over in their canoe earlier." He retorted.

"Hey, they had it coming! Too much PDA!" She playfully argued, throwing her arms into the air.

"They weren't even holding hands!"

"They were in the same canoe, which counts." She crossed her arms.

The dinosaur expert could only playfully rub his nose, letting out a long sigh.

"Well, we're here." She said, finally calming down.

"Here?" He looked at the door they stood in front of.

"Uh, you know this is my room right?" He asked, pointing at the door.

"Yeah, and this is mine." She gestured to the door straight across from his.

"Wait, so you and I are-"

"Neighbors? Yeah, exciting right?" She grinned.

"But, why?" He asked out of genuine curiosity.

"Well I figured that after all we've been through, it might just be better for us to live closer to each other in case anything happens." She finished, almost looking nervously at the floor.

"That makes sense… Well I guess this is goodnight then. Call me if you need me for anything." He bid her goodnight before turning to open his door.

"Alan?" She called his name quietly.

Just as he turned around, he felt her arms wrap around his neck, pulling him into a kiss. His mind froze and he blanked out, not knowing what to do.

As she pulled back, they both just stared at each other.

"While I was away I thought a lot about what has happened to us in these last few weeks, and if its taught me anything, it's that tomorrow isn't guaranteed. I wanna live life the best I can, and I'm done taking chances. I want to live life the way I want to live it, on my own terms from now on. I like you Alan, and I like being your friend, but I just wanted to let you know I'll always be there for you if you need anything. Okay?" She began to back up towards the door to her room.

"I know you're a busy guy, I just wanted to let you know you didn't have to lift all that weight on your own. It's always good to have someone there to help, and that's what you've been to me. You make me feel safe so that's why I'm not scared anymore. I know you'll protect me and Owen, well I guess Owen doesn't need protecting, he can handle himself." She chuckled slightly before opening her door.

"Night Alan, see you tomorrow?" She asked hopefully.

The man was still in shock of the whole situation, but snapped out of it in time to answer her.

"Uh… Yeah, sure." He said, still staring at her in disbelief.

"Great… See you then."

And with that, she entered her room and closed the door behind her.

It took him a minute to register that he was now the only person in the hallway. Walking into his room, he shut the door and walked over to his kitchen table where his laptop sat. Opening it, he decided to go through the piling emails he'd gotten from Claire, Masrani, and Ellie. Some were greeting emails from Ellie, asking how he was doing, and that she might come see him one day. Others were emails about work and his schedules. One stood out from the rest though, an email from Dr. Wu.

Curious, Alan opened it and suddenly froze. The message wasn't very long. In fact it was a single sentence.

" _The Indominus Rex's other gene is that of a Velociraptor._ "

* * *

 **Hey guys, hoped you all enjoyed the chapter. This is almost the end of pre-jurassic world. The park is now open.**


	7. Chapter 7

**How Life Finds a Way**

 **Chapter 7: Watching and Waiting**

 **The Jurassic Films are all owned by Universal Studios, Amblin, and Legendary Pictures.**

* * *

[Southern Giant Kingdom, 2:13 P.M.]

It had been almost three weeks since the meeting that threw Alan into Dr. Wu and Masrani's secret Indominus Project. Since then Masrani and Claire had given him a payed leave of absence from his usual work at the park, giving him time to catch up on research in order to prepare himself for the coming baby Indominus Rexes.

And if Wu and his scientists were right, which they had been so far, then they were due to hatch in just a few hours to another day or two. Right now, he was trying to gather notes on every animal that was on the creature's gene list.

The Tyrannosaurus genes were added for size, and the rest such as Giganotasaurus and Carnotaurus genes were added to make in 'cooler' as described by Mr. Masrani. Alan wasn't so sure about that.

"Given the aggression shown by the Giga, there's bound to be some behavioral issues with these things." He muttered to himself as he observed the apex predator roam around its paddock.

"Yeah, but you said its base gene was a T-Rex right?" Owen asked, watching the animal as well as observing his raptors on a live video feed on a company tablet. Owen had asked for the Navy man to join him on certain parts of the project, such as predatory behavior.

Much to Dr. Wu's dismay, Masrani granted Owen his wish, but only Owen. No one else.

"Yeah, but the T-Rex was to help with its size, Wu said the Giga and Carnotaurus genes were for cosmetic adjustments only." He said, jotting down behavioral patterns on a clipboard.

"But you don't believe him." Owen stated, more like a fact than an opinion.

"Owen, the scientific achievements that the people in that lab have performed are way ahead of our time, has been since nineteen-ninety three. Though, just like the nineties, all they care about is fame and fortune. People like Wu, they just do as they're told and expect recognition for it, no doubt forgetting about all the safety hazards that come with creating a new, never before seen or heard of dinosaur." Alan finished, already feeling a headache coming on at the knowledge that he'd be the caretaker of these new animals.

"Well, that's why they have people like us, to make sure they can't get away with shit like that. If it were anyone but me or Barry watching them, I wouldn't trust those raptors to be alone in their paddock by themselves. They could literally outsmart any of those guards into opening the doors or something, but I know how they think, what they want." He said, finally feeling comfortable enough to set the tablet down, knowing that Barry had everything under control.

"Yes, and as intelligent as they are, your raptors aren't that big. And you're all at a safe height on the catwalk. Put the Rex in there, it could simply bust its way out with brute force." Alan shook his head, a smirk working its way up the corner of his mouth.

"Well, it's all about trust with me and the girls, plus they imprinted on me."

"Would you feel so trusting with one of these imprinting on you and having to raise one?" He gestured to the giant theropod.

Owen glanced at the creature, about to say yeah, but then he remembered all the damage it had done in mere minutes. If ACU hadn't have shown up when they did, Alan and Alice wouldn't be alive, and the animal would have undoubtedly escaped.

"On second thought. No. No I wouldn't, but the same rules of nature still apply to slightly bigger animals." Owen finished.

"Slightly?" Alan glanced back at him.

"Just slightly." He nodded comically.

"No wonder Masrani is always hiring new security. He needs someone to watch idiots like you." Alan chuckled to himself, turning back towards the dinosaur.

"And the fact that he thinks so highly of me makes my heart all warm."

Alan only shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"So you've been watching this thing for three weeks straight? Does anything ever change?"

"Well, his aggression is the same every time. He eats about five to ten pounds more every week, and he's growing rapidly."

"That's expected from every dinosaur in the park right? They always need the animals ripe and ready before a certain date, so they enhance the growth factor." Owen crossed his arms as he recited some of the stuff he learned while going through job training.

"Yes, but I've been telling the feeders to change up the meat they feed it just to see if there would be any changes in her feeding habits. Some meat is richer in protein, others contain more fat. Both of which greatly affect her growth and behavior." Alan stated as he wrote some more on his clipboard.

"Isn't that, I dunno, dangerous for both you and the animal?"

Alan looked back at Owen, another slight grin forcing its way to his face.

"Sure, but it gives me a better knowledge of what to feed these things, and what not to feed them." He turned back around.

"And I thought I lived life dangerously."

"No, you just live it stupidly."

"Yeah thanks Alan that totally helps my self-esteem." Owen said sarcastically.

"That's what I'm here for, glad I could help." The dinosaur expert retorted with a straight face, not looking up from his writing.

"I need to find new friends." Owen shook his head.

"What, are your raptors not good enough?"

"HUMAN friends." He sighed in irritation.

"Then you're in the wrong line of work my friend."

"Maybe, or maybe I'm majorly in need of a girlfriend." He sighed.

"There's always Claire."

"Never again."

"You sure? Sometimes I can just feel sexual tension when I see you two together."

"Oh shut the hell up."

"Alright. What about that girl from ACU that joined us for drinks the other night?" Alan suggested.

"Nah, Alice told me she wasn't into men." Owen scratched his chin in thought, watching the dinosaur walk around.

"Hm, what about that girl that works with the Mosasaurus in the Lagoon? What was her name? Maggie, Carrie-"

"Maddie. Her name is Madeline, close. And yeah, she's attractive, but I don't know if someone who can nonchalantly stand over water with a sea monster in it is completely sane."

"Good point, but that's rich coming from a guy who stands on a bunch of rails over a cage with four velociraptors."

"Point taken."

* * *

[Jurassic World labs, 10:34 p.m.]

Alan sat, observing the two Indominus eggs as they ran steady heart beats on a monitor.

As it was now, they were both due to hatch any hour or moment, according to Dr. Wu and his scientists. There was a slight problem though.

One of the infants were exhibiting an inability to regulate its body heat. Wu said that frog and pit viper genes were added to help the animals withstand the temperatures of Central America. Of course that was a fact of all the dinosaurs in Jurassic World.

He was baffled at how this could be happening. But then he noticed that the one egg in question had significantly less lighting on it than the other. That was odd though, just yesterday when he came in nothing was wrong with either eggs. So he just summed it up to one of the bulbs in the lights going out.

"Dr. Grant!" Simon Masrani yelled excitedly as he entered the room.

"Hello Mr. Masrani, what can I do for you?" He sighed, setting down his pen and clipboard and getting up.

"Nothing! Nothing at all. I just wanted to check up on our new assets. Henry told me that they were due to hatch any day now."

"Well other than this slight hiccup, they're doing alright. They've been showing more and more activity every day."

"Ah! Good! Good! And how are your preparations coming along?"

"So far, so good. I never imagined myself becoming a parent of two made up dinosaurs, but the only thing I can to is observe their genetic parents and their behavior to get a good idea of what will happen."

"Very good." The business owner nodded.

"By the way, how is the construction on their paddock coming along?" Alan asked.

"It is coming along smoothly, though they will need a bigger pen than the T-Rex's."

"That's to be expected, Wu said they would be bigger than the Tyrannosaurus when fully grown."

"Yes, yes. We are taking the utmost precautions with this new pen, one sided glass and all that."

Alan instantly frowned. Though he respected his boss, the way he was just now talking sounded like he wasn't taking the matter seriously, even after both accidents that happened just months ago.

"Of course there will be guards and cameras place around the paddock perimeter right? If for any reason that something happens to me, we can't let them stay alive." Alan asked, hoping that he wasn't wrong about this.

"Now why would we do that? We've already invested twenty six million dollars into these animals, of course we can't kill them." Masrani said as if Alan had gone mad.

At this, he could only shake his head. There was no arguing about it either as Masrani's words were law.

Giving a sigh, Alan nodded and dropped the subject. One way or another Masrani would learn his lesson about these animals, but he'd hoped that he wouldn't be there when he did.

Of course, being the ever observant person he was Simon noticed Alan's distressed expression all too easily.

"I can see that your work is catching up to you Dr. Grant. Tell me, how much more data do you require before you are ready to begin working with the animals?" He asked, clasping his hands together.

Alan looked at him curiously, contemplating an answer.

"Well, as far as data and information goes, the only thing for me to do now is wait for the animals to hatch. Why?"

"That's very good, but I have a proposition for you." The park owner said.

"Which is?"

"A paid leave of absence."

As soon as the words left his mouth, he instantly saw Alan prepare to protest. He knew the paleontologist's file by heart and knew that his work was everything, so he quickly thought of something else to say.

"I'm not saying you should leave the island, I'm just saying that you should take a temporary leave from this project. Take some time to yourself and relax while you're here, give a tour or make a guest appearance at some of our lectures."

"Sir, I appreciate the thought, but I really can't take a break from this right now and-"

"We will contact you as soon as they hatch." He cut Alan off, hoping to end the conversation there.

At this, Alan bit his lip, and promptly grabbed his things.

"Well then Mr. Masrani, I do hope you and Dr. Wu know what you're doing." He said through a forced smile, then proceeded to storm out of the lab.

"Have a good night Dr. Grant!" Masrani chuckled, hearing the door close.

* * *

[Owen's bungalow, 12:23 a.m.]

Later that night, Owen had invited Alan over for a fire and barbeque. Now they sat around a campfire with cold beers in their hands.

"And he just laid you off, just like that?" The raptor handler asked incredulously before taking a swig of his Corona.

"Yeah… Pretty much." Alan sighed, taking his own swig.

"Wow, the nerve! The only guy who knows what he's doing around here and Masrani just lets him go."

"Easy, it's not like he fired me or anything. I just have to find some way to occupy myself until these son of a bitches hatch." He chuckled silently.

"Well maybe he's not wrong. Maybe you should hit the beach or something, I heard the canoe trip was pretty fun. And there's always more room for you back at the paddock with the girls." Owen offered consolation.

"Thanks Owen, I appreciate that." Alan nodded to his friend.

Just then, Alice could be seen driving up to the trailer.

"Hey there fellas!" She grinned, getting out of the Jeep with some buns and drinks in plastic bags.

"Well, well, well. Look who finally got here with the bread." Owen joked, getting up to go help her carry everything.

"Ah shut up and help me out here." She laughed, handing the groceries over to the ex-Navy man.

"Great, now you can go chill out with Alan by the fire and I'll start up the grill." He said taking the food from her.

"Hey Alan!" Her already bright blue eyes got even brighter once they landed on the dinosaur expert. She pulled up a fold up chair beside him and cracked open a bottle.

"How's your day been so far?" She asked him with interest.

"Well, other than being told to take a break by Masrani, it's been okay." He said sarcastically.

"Well if you ask me, you need one. Even after our last break you found some way to work, so you should take some relaxation time." She smiled.

"If you say so."

"You know what? I have tomorrow off! If you want someone to show you all the attractions I can do it for you!"

Alan thought for a second, instantly wanting to say yes, but also wanted to say no. He wasn't much for doing fun things besides digging for bones and reading through scholar papers on theories.

"Sure, why not." He cursed in the back of his head. Decision making was one of the hardest things he could ever do.

"Great! It's a date then!" She grinned.

"You guys are going on a date? About damn time!" Owen showed himself into the conversation at just the right time.

Alan could only sigh at that, and shake his head. No going back now.

* * *

 **So I was planning on getting a chapter out by Christmas or New years to celebrate the story's one year anniversary, but college said otherwise so I've had my hands full. Nevertheless, life will find a way! Hope you guys enjoyed, see you all next chapter!**


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